Source: Sharecast
Potash miner Sirius Minerals was the big faller of the afternoon, with the firm now trading over 6p below its highest level of 2018 of 38.7p per share, having hitherto risen by approximately 48% over the course of the year off the back of offtake agreements, commencement of construction on a production facility and targets to deliver first production in 2021.
Travel stocks were down, with Thomas Cook in the red like its larger peer Tui, with some traders citing renewed tensions around Syria as a possible reason.
Oil and gas names were also below water as crude oil prices dipped more than 1%. Hunting, Premier Oil and Cairn Energy were among the biggest fallers. Services provider supplier dipped back after a rise a day earlier prompted by Kepler Cheuvreux upgrading their stance on the company's shares to 'buy'.
Real estate investment trust Intu Properties fell after UBS reiterated their 'neutral' assessment but downgraded their price target to 160p from 200p.
At the other end of the scale, William Hill galloped higher after extending its deal to provide sports betting in the US in partnership with casino group Eldorado Resorts. The UK bookmaker and Eldorado agreed a new US-wide partnership for an initial 25-year term, which will soon cover operations in 13 states where sports betting is either legal or expected.
William Hill's US arm will retain 80% of the enhanced business, with Eldorado sharing profits attributable to its licences and gaining $50m of its London-listed shares.
"While both sides will benefit from the partnership, William Hill is giving Eldorado ~£116m of value (14p per William Hill share,5% of its share price) but not receiving any equity in return, so this seems to be the price William Hill has to pay for exclusivity with Eldorado," said Morgan Stanley.
Equiniti rose after it announced the launch of its new threat intelligence platform, EQ FirstSight, a new tool to protect businesses from hackers and other data breaches. Equiniti's Cyber Security chief Chris Underhill said with cyber criminals and fraudsters shifting their focus from consumers to businesses, where the prizes are more significant, they were seeking out weak links in businesses.
He said EQ FirstSight monitors the digital footprint of businesses and detects, analyses and contextualises threats that are directly relevant to an organisation, using "external intelligence from a range of sources".
Alfa Financial Software was the big riser in afternoon trading, recovering from its drop on Tuesday after it posted a decline in first-half profit due in part to contract delays, the weaker dollar and a customer contract delay.
Also on the rise after having released results on Tuesday was housebuilder Redrow, which had posted a jump in full-year profit as revenue rose to a record level on the back of higher completions.
Market Movers
FTSE 250 (MCX) 20,396.05 -0.74%
FTSE 250 - Risers
Alfa Financial Software Holdings (ALFA) 155.20p 4.86%
Redrow (RDW) 567.50p 4.13%
William Hill (WMH) 258.60p 4.06%
Charter Court Financial Services Group (CCFS) 359.00p 3.52%
Card Factory (CARD) 190.30p 2.42%
Equiniti Group (EQN) 246.22p 2.17%
Go-Ahead Group (GOG) 1,645.00p 1.98%
Capita (CPI) 149.65p 1.98%
Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group (JLT) 1,506.00p 1.76%
BTG (BTG) 552.00p 1.75%
FTSE 250 - Fallers
Sirius Minerals (SXX) 32.14p -7.06%
Thomas Cook Group (TCG) 77.45p -5.49%
Centamin (DI) (CEY) 92.56p -4.89%
Premier Oil (PMO) 121.50p -4.48%
Hunting (HTG) 810.50p -3.91%
Hill & Smith Holdings (HILS) 984.00p -3.62%
Dechra Pharmaceuticals (DPH) 2,440.00p -3.33%
Cairn Energy (CNE) 234.40p -3.14%
Intu Properties (INTU) 149.50p -3.08%
Renishaw (RSW) 5,290.00p -3.02%
