Small caps round-up: Futuragene, Goldenport, Symphony...

16th Dec 2009 10:17

Plant genetic research company Futuragene said it has been granted a 'Method for increasing stress tolerance in plants' patent by the Chinese patent office.Shipping company Goldenport Holdings has agreed to acquire a new vessel from Marshall Islands-based Bonitas Maritime for $31.8m.Environmental plastics and waste-to-energy group Symphony Environmental Technologies has signed a 15-year agreement to distribute plastic products in Morocco.smartFOCUS's recent contract wins, including LV= and Rank, will mean its results for the year ending 31 December 2009 are expected to be ahead of market expectations. "It is pleasing to be able to announce another profits upgrade ahead of our forthcoming year end in this, the first full year of our transformed business model. We are going into 2010 with a higher level of recurring revenues and good prospects for ongoing growth," chief executive Chris Underhill said.Gold production and mineral exploration company Norseman Gold said it is making strides towards opening up its third and fourth mines. The company is still on target to treat the first tonnes from its third mine, the OK Decline, during the March quarter of 2010, while dewatering is well underway at the North Royal open pit. At the latter, surface diamond drilling at the southern end of the existing open pit has revealed visible gold, 'which augers well for the grade of the subsequent assay results,' company chairman Vincent Pendal said.Cliff Preddy, the chairman of business software specialist Charteris, said at the company's annual general meeting that the management still expected performance in the first half of the year, excluding exceptional costs, to be on a par with that seen in the second half of the previous financial year.