CLST.L Share News (CLST)

Specialist mortgage lender Paragon is lifting the financial services sector higher after it nearly doubled profits in the six months to March 31, helped by the low interest rate environment making it easier for customers to pay back debts.Pre-tax profits jumped to £29.3m from £15.9m in the same period a year previously. The company lifted its dividend to 1.2p from 1.1p.A recovery in the share price of hedge fund manager Man Group, which fell sharply yesterday after it agreed to buy New York-listed rival GLG Partners for $1.6bn, has also lifted sentiment in the sector.Stock broker Collins Stewart is in the blue after it said the year has started satisfactorily with total revenues in the first four months of year up 12% on last year despite the declining dollar.Vodafone is weighing on the mobile telecoms sector after its full year results.Turnover in the year to March rose by 8.4% to £44.5bn, but on an organic basis fell by 2.3%, though demand for data and fixed broadband saw that figure improve to a decline of 0.2% in the last three months of the year. Customer numbers increased to 341m, with 8.5m net additions in the past three months. Top performing sectors so far todayForestry & Paper 4,713.55 +2.80%Financial Services 4,910.27 +2.35%Gas, Water & Multiutilities 4,150.90 +2.32%Beverages 8,824.98 +2.19%Electricity 6,356.36 +2.08%Bottom performing sectors so far todayMobile Telecommunications 3,144.24 -0.81%Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology 8,431.87 -0.58%Electronic & Electrical Equipment 1,909.64 -0.19%Software & Computer Services 645.30 -0.14%Tobacco 24,337.79 -0.14%