Despite England’s success in the football on Wednesday night, Thursday became a torrid session for stocks, with the AIM Index slumping by more than 17 points to finish at 1247.98. There’s a range of factors in play here right now, depressing the mood for equities on a global basis.
- Gemfields Group up 22%
- Petrel Resources up 11%
- Animalcare Group down 16%
- John Lewis of Hungerford down 14%
- Belluscura up 8%
It was a frantic day of trade for Gemfields Group [LON:GEM] which saw elevated volumes, driving the stock some 22% higher by the close. There is a relatively wide spread being quoted here of around 6%, but buying interest remains very much in evidence.
Petrel Resources LON:PET also fared well, reaching the bell some 11% ahead. Again there’s a wide spread and the market cap is only a few million, but with brisk interest in the stock gains have certainly been delivered in the short term.
The biggest faller was Animalcare Group LON:ANCR, off 16% after a major shareholder announced it was to sell down its stake at a 20% discount to market price in a secondary placing. The stock had made steady gains, rising around 100% over the last six months.
John Lewis of Hungerford LON:JLH saw yet more losses today, sitting some 14% lower by the bell. Monday’s jump higher remains unexplained, although an RNS published today did highlight stake building by one investor who now sits on a 8.9% holding.
A notable mention for Belluscura LON:BELL, whose shares were sitting more than 8% higher by the closing bell. There has been a development in terms of US public health which it sees as providing a significant market opportunity for its portable oxygen generator technology, with investors clearly finding cause for optimism here.
