London’s AIM All Share Index had another gruelling day as investors continue to try and understand what the future looks like amidst rapidly deteriorating trade conditions between the US and the rest of the world. The junior market was as much as 27 points lower in early trade before almost halving those losses to close down 15 points at 625.11.
- Celadon Pharmaceuticals +33%
- Oracle Power +29%
- Volex +12%
- Verici DX -54%
- Slingsby -25%
Celadon Pharmaceuticals [LON:CEL] was trading 33% higher on the day offering a rare glimmer of hope in the beleaguered market. Gains were seen last Wednesday off the back of hopes that funding news would soon arrive and although there’s still no update, positive sentiment is in evidence. That said, the gain was within the quoted spread.
Oracle Power [LON:ORCP] was 29% higher on the day. Again this has been an active stock of late off the back of recent drill updates and the company’s exposure to markets such as China and Pakistan also offers some potential economic insulation.
A notable mention for cabling company Volex [LON:VLX] who this morning published an upbeat full year trading update. The company is set for bumper sales and believes that its deep integration with existing customers will help in the current uncertain climate. Shares closed 12% higher.
Verici DX [LON:VRCI] was the biggest faller, off 54% in the wake of a quarter end update. This was something of a mixed bag with investors focusing on the downside which included a delay to a milestone payment and an expectation of slowing licensing activity in 2025. Revenue expectations for the company’s service business for the FY have been revised down from $5.9m to $0.5m.
Slingsby [LON:SLNG] was 25% lower on the day. The company has been looking for a buyer but took itself off the market after a somewhat fruitless hunt and this morning published audited results for the full year. These didn’t make for good reading and early news from 2025 is just as grim with profits of £1k for the first two months.
