LONDON (ShareCast) - Utility services group Telecom Plus said it is happy with market expectations for the full year after strong organic growth in the first half, causing shares to surge on Friday. The company said that the strong growth in both customers and service numbers seen at the start of the year accelerated in the second quarter, and that first-half adjusted profits will be "significantly ahead" of last year.
Train and bus operator Firstgroup is poised to win an uncontested three-and-a-half year extension of its First Great Western franchise. The Department for Transport plans to negotiate a "direct award" for the franchise, which runs trains between London Paddington, the Thames Valley, Wales and the south-west, until March 2019, with a possible extra year, FirstGroup said.

A general drop amongst semiconductor stocks dragged CSR lower, while oil stocks Ophir, Afren and Cairn Energy were also in the red.

Blackrock World Mining shares declined after it reported a 7.7% decrease in its net asset value following the failure of its Marampa mine.

Natural resources group Vedanta Resources fell after delivering a mixed update for the second quarter with output of a number of commodity classes falling year-on-year whilst others improved.

Distribution of Hikma Pharmaceuticals' food and drug administration-approved colchicine 0.6mg capsules has been put under a temporary restraining order, dragging down shares in the drug developer.

Specialist healthcare company BTG was also trading lower on the news it has settled its US patent infringement complaint against Instituto Bioclon and Rare Disease Therapeutics with a $6m payment.



FTSE 250 - Risers
Telecom Plus (TEP) 1,352.00p +7.64%
Booker Group (BOK) 124.20p +4.99%
FirstGroup (FGP) 112.20p +3.60%
esure Group (ESUR) 227.60p +3.50%
Paragon Group Of Companies (PAG) 334.50p +3.27%
Oxford Instruments (OXIG) 992.50p +3.06%
Domino's Pizza Group (DOM) 584.50p +2.54%
Supergroup (SGP) 1,065.00p +2.31%
TalkTalk Telecom Group (TALK) 269.30p +1.74%
Computacenter (CCC) 615.00p +1.74%

FTSE 250 - Fallers
Ophir Energy (OPHR) 195.60p -7.43%
BlackRock World Mining Trust (BRWM) 359.00p -5.95%
CSR (CSR) 674.00p -5.93%
Vedanta Resources (VED) 872.50p -5.52%
Afren (AFR) 99.65p -5.00%
Fenner (FENR) 285.60p -4.39%
AO World (AO.) 160.10p -4.36%
Ladbrokes (LAD) 113.80p -4.05%
Soco International (SIA) 342.70p -3.74%
SSP Group (SSPG) 231.70p -3.42%

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