London afternoon: Rolls celebrates another big order
24th Nov 2010 14:36
Barely a dozen or so FTSE 100 constituents are in the red today as the blue-chip index sets about clawing back some of the losses of the last two days, despite continued concerns about the Irish debt crisis and the military tensions in Korea. Better than expected jobs data from the US put investors
Read moreLondon midday: Shares holding on
24th Nov 2010 12:24
Shares remain in the blue after some well-received company updates this morning, although the euro crisis is still looming in the background. Credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) has cut its debt rating for Ireland as the Irish government puts the finishing touches to a four-year plan to
Read moreLondon open: Footsie opens higher
24th Nov 2010 08:46
London has opened better than expected thanks to a rebound by the miners and a smattering of good trading updates. There has also been some easing of tension in Korea, though not in Europe where the EU is heaping pressure on Ireland to agree to its bail-out. UK banks are weak again becasue of the
Read moreBig upturn at HaiKe
24th Nov 2010 07:53
HaiKe Chemical, a China-based manufacturer of petrochemicals, speciality chemicals and biochemicals, has seen a 'material improvement' in trading in all of its businesses since its last half-year. The company posted an interim loss of $21.2m, against a profit of $10.8m, but following the recent imp
Read moreSmall caps: Allergy Therapeutics, Goldplat, Avacta
20th Sep 2010 14:41
Hay fever treatment specialist Allergy Therapeutics posted an operating profit for the year to June of £1.5m (2009: loss £5.1m) and cut losses to £116,000 from £11.4m. "On the regulatory front, the submission in March 2009 of Pollinex Quattro Grass, our ultra-short course four injection grass alle
Read moreSmall caps round-up: Bankers IT, Asian Plant, D1 Oils
24th Jun 2010 13:06
Bankers IT says its net asset value per share was 448.7p as at 30 April, up 12.2% from the 399.9p on 31 October. The FTSE 100 rose 10.8% during that time. Profit before tax for the half-year to April increased to £61m from £18m a year ago and compares with £79.9m made in the year to October 2009. M
Read moreHaiKe swings to profit in December
25th Jan 2010 10:01
China-based HaiKe Chemical moved back into profitability at the operating for the month of December, but still expects to report a full-year loss. The refinery firm said the performance of both the petrochemical and speciality chemical businesses has shown a modest improvement since the last tradin
Read moreHaike slumps on Q3 loss
19th Nov 2009 12:52
Chinese refinery firm Haike has plunged by a fifth to a seven-month low on news it traded at a loss throughout the third quarter, leaving it loss-making for the year so far. Trading conditions continued to be "difficult" and the expected recovery following losses in July and August failed to materi
Read moreHaike back in black
24th Sep 2009 10:25
Chinese refinery group Haike moved back in to profit in the first half of 2009, as the Chinese government allowed refinery prices to reflect crude oil prices. Revenues decreased by 17.6% to $261.5m from $317.5m, although sales volumes increased by 8%. Gross margin increased to 8.8% from 3.6 % and p
Read moreSmall caps round-up: Mount Engineering, Oxeco, Renew...
23rd Jul 2009 09:27
Mount Engineering said it is satisfied with its progress in the first six months of the year and expects results to be in line with the prior year first half. "Whilst current market visibility remains unpredictable, effective margin management and overhead cost control is maintaining profitabilit
Read moreHelius Energy pair in selling mood
11th Jun 2009 17:17
Two directors at Helius Energy have sold £1¼m of shares in the installer of biomass-powered renewable electricity generation plants. Commercial director Chris Corner made £660,000 from the sale of 2.2m shares at 30p each, while technical director Adrian Bowles offloaded 2m shares at the same price.
Read moreSmall caps round-up: Cellcast, Haike, Real Good Food ...
9th Jun 2009 08:35
Cellcast, a provider of technology that allows TV images to be viewed on mobile phones, moved into profit in 2008 after cutting costs and lifting revenues. The firm posted a pre-tax profit of £180,000 for the year, compared to a £2.15m loss the previous year. Revenue climbed to £16m from £12m. The
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