Sector movers: Shares rise in 3D

18th Jul 2011 14:45

The automobiles and parts sector led the FTSE down today, with shares down 3.6% on average.Enova, which develops electric, hybrid and fuel cell digital power management systems, fell hardest, down almost 5% in mid-afternoon trading.Industry giant GKN also fell after announcing it is to buy engineer Stromag for €164m (£146m). This did not impress investors and its shares fell 3.6%.The technology, hardware and equipment sector was, on average, the winner with a limp 0.87% rise by mid-afternoon. However, this positive number disguised some extremes within the sector. A number of firms saw big falls in their share value, including IQE, the producer of silicon wafers for electrical products (down 7%) and Semiconductor company, Cyan Holdings (down 3.5%).But the sector was buoyed up by a barnstorming performance from Seeing Machines. Its shares doubled in value at one point after it trumpeted the arrival of the world's first 3D laptop that requires no special glasses for watching movies or playing games in 3D. Seeing Machines' said its faceAPI technology was a key technological component in the glasses-free 3D capability, allowing the laptop's built-in webcam to track the viewer's eye position. The firm will receive a royalty for every unit of the Toshiba Qosmio F750 laptop that is sold. Top performing sectors so far todayTechnology Hardware & Equipment 732.22 +1.17%Gas, Water & Multiutilities 4,624.55 +0.11%Bottom performing sectors so far todayAutomobiles & Parts 5,384.57 -3.64%Industrial Engineering 7,448.60 -2.41%Industrial Transportation 2,572.49 -2.25%General Industrials 3,080.47 -2.19%Industrial Metals & Mining 7,133.63 -2.12%