FTSE 250 movers: Retail stocks lead rise as footfall decline slows
Retail stocks were putting in a strong performance on Tuesday after data from BRC-Springboard showed the decline in UK retail footfall eased to 0.9% in September from a 1.1% drop in August. Stocks such as Debenhams, Home Retail, Just Eat, WH Smith and Halfords were all in positive territory.
BTG
840.00p
16:30 16/08/19
Debenhams
1.83p
15:45 08/04/19
Ferrexpo
47.30p
16:50 19/04/24
Halfords Group
147.60p
16:40 19/04/24
Home Reit
38.05p
17:30 11/04/24
Informa
783.60p
17:05 19/04/24
KAZ Minerals
849.00p
16:40 10/05/21
NMC Health
938.40p
16:44 27/04/20
Ophir Energy
57.50p
16:39 21/05/19
Thomas Cook Group
3.45p
16:45 20/09/19
WH Smith
1,238.00p
16:40 19/04/24
"With a return to more normal, albeit mild, weather conditions in the UK in October 2014, we would expect the footfall data to improve further month-on-month, particularly for shopping centres selling fashion," said analysts at Shore Capital.
Travel-tour operator Thomas Cook was also a high riser despite reports of travel disruptions and cancelled flights in the UK because of Hurricane Gonzalo. Stocks across the sector were extending gains made over the last few sessions as concerns about the spread of Ebola began to ease slightly.
Ophir Energy was making decent gains after saying that positive drill stem tests at its Fortuna-2 well in Block R, Equatorial Guinea, mean that it won't need as many development wells to produce the gas field, "thereby improving development economics".
Business media group Informa was in demand after a solid third-quarter kept it on track to hit full-year results, with its events business strength counterbalancing weaker business intelligence performance.
Leading the fallers were mining peers Ferrexpo and Kazakhmys, along with pharmaceutical and healthcare groups BTG and NMC Health.
FTSE 250 - Risers
Thomas Cook Group (TCG) 117.10p +6.36%
Just Eat (JE.) 283.30p +5.99%
Informa (INF) 472.30p +5.52%
Debenhams (DEB) 61.80p +5.19%
Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) 349.60p +5.17%
Home Retail Group (HOME) 173.70p +4.76%
Ophir Energy (OPHR) 198.80p +4.63%
Crest Nicholson Holdings (CRST) 325.80p +4.59%
Enterprise Inns (ETI) 120.90p +4.58%
Jupiter Fund Management (JUP) 348.70p +4.56%
FTSE 250 - Fallers
Ferrexpo (FXPO) 87.95p -3.83%
Kazakhmys (KAZ) 244.90p -2.82%
BTG (BTG) 686.50p -1.79%
NMC Health (NMC) 471.50p -1.77%
Redefine International (RDI) 50.30p -1.28%
Daejan Holdings (DJAN) 4,823.00p -1.27%
Supergroup (SGP) 1,026.00p -1.25%
Stock Spirits Group (STCK) 304.30p -1.17%
SSP Group (SSPG) 227.40p -1.13%
Micro Focus International (MCRO) 993.00p -1.00%