(Alliance News) - The following stocks are the leading risers and fallers among London Main Market small-caps on Friday.
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SMALL-CAP - WINNERS
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Treatt, up 12% at 862.00 pence, 12-month range 310p-900p. The food ingredients maker said it anticipates profit for its current financial year to the end of September will exceed market consensus, following a strong start to the year. Although some parts of Treatt's portfolio remain affected by subdued on-trade demand due to closed venues around the world, demand from off-trade channels has increased, offsetting the muted on-trade demand.
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SMALL-CAP - LOSERS
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Pharos Energy, down 6.4% at 19.98p, 12-month range 10p-50.7p. The oil & gas exploration and production company said it has raised USD11.7 million - around GBP8.6 million - through the issue of 44.7 million shares at 19.25p each. The net proceeds of the fundraise will be deployed to support the company's investment programme in Egypt in order to provide reservoir pressure support and stimulate production.
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International Personal Finance, down 4.8% at 75.9p, 12-month range 32.55p-179.8p. The provider of home credit, and owner of fintech business IPF Digital, said it delivered collections effectiveness throughout December at 96% of pre-Covid expectations, down slightly from 97% in November. "We are encouraged that the modest reduction in collections effectiveness we expected during Q4 did not materialise, but we continue to plan for a softening in performance in Q1 2021," the company added.
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Halfords, down 3.7% at 281.8p, 12-month range 49.58p-3035p. Retailers were lower after bleak UK retail figures on Friday. UK retail sales increased 0.3% month-on-month in December - rebounding from a 4.1% slide in November - but market consensus, according to FXStreet, had pencilled in a 1.2% increase. In 2020 as a whole, UK retail sales fell an estimated 1.9% when compared with 2019, the largest year-on-year fall since records began in 1997, the Office for National Statistics said. FTSE 100-listed clothing retailers Next and Associated British Foods fell 2.3% and 2.2% respectively. Fellow small-cap stock Ted Baker was down 3.2%.
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By Lucy Heming; lucyheming@alliancenews.com
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