LONDON (ShareCast) - Infinis rose strongly after Deutsche Bank upgraded the stock to 'buy' with a target price of 220p.

The share price of Kier also rose after the construction, services and property group was named as a preferred bidder on two new long-term Anglian Water contracts and gave a positive update on third-quarter trading. Kier has been selected to deliver Anglian Water's AMP6 Integrated Metering and Developer Services (IMDS) contract, valued at up to £12m a year. This is expected to be formally awarded in the summer.

Molten metal flow engineering group Vesuvius climbed after it said that first-quarter trading was in line with expectations and despite saying conditions in many regions remain challenging. The company has seen "encouraging signs of increased activity in some markets", particularly in Europe, but trading remains mixed elsewhere.

Meanwhile, tour operator Thomas Cook fell sharply on the back of lower revenues, which contracted as disruption in Egypt continued to weigh. The company reported a 0.7% drop in sales to £9.1bn, while revenues fell 6.6% to £3.1bn as the unrest in Egypt and pricing weakness in the UK offset growth in other areas of the business.

Currys and PC World owner Dixons Retail and Carphone Warehouse were both lower after revealing they have agreed on an all-share merger valuing the combined entity at £3.8bn. The new company, to be named Dixons Carphone plc, is hoping to create a "world-class British retailer for the new digital age", offering consumer electricals, mobiles, connectivity and related services.

The first three months of the year saw an in-line performance at technology distribution group Premier Farnell, although the share price fell nearly 4%. It said the gross margin was expected to be consistent with the fourth quarter of last year as it continued to optimise its financial performance, in line with the current market conditions.

FTSE 250 - Risers
Xaar (XAR) 815.50p +6.32%
Infinis Energy (INFI) 208.00p +2.92%
Kier Group (KIE) 1,685.00p +2.37%
Ferrexpo (FXPO) 151.10p +1.55%
Laird (LRD) 288.10p +1.44%
Foxtons Group (FOXT) 316.70p +1.34%
Polymetal International (POLY) 574.50p +0.88%
Monks Inv Trust (MNKS) 376.50p +0.83%
Vesuvius (VSVS) 448.00p +0.67%
Personal Assets Trust (PNL) 33,380.00p +0.54%

FTSE 250 - Fallers
Thomas Cook Group (TCG) 162.80p -8.85%
Dixons Retail (DXNS) 46.53p -8.59%
Carphone Warehouse Group (CPW) 308.80p -5.80%
Playtech (PTEC) 610.00p -5.06%
Bwin.party Digital Entertainment (BPTY) 120.80p -4.96%
Rank Group (RNK) 152.90p -4.85%
Howden Joinery Group (HWDN) 318.90p -4.75%
Grafton Group Units (GFTU) 571.50p -4.59%
Man Group (EMG) 91.80p -4.03%
Premier Farnell (PFL) 218.00p -3.96%

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