FTSE 250 movers: Soco walloped by Congo failure

Soco International slumped to its lowest in almost six years after another exploration failure in the Democratic Republic of Congo.The firm will now plug and abandon a second well, Kinganga Nyanya 1, in the Nganzi Block. Last month, it plugged and abandoned its first wildcat exploration well at Nganga 1 (NGA-1) after hitting water. "We continue to be encouraged that this previously undrilled basin contains all of the ingredients to be a significant producing area. The two wells that we have drilled to date confirmed the presence of oil and adequate reservoirs though in different settings in the structures. The third well in our current campaign will test a different play concept," chief executive Ed Story said.Floor coverings retailer Carpetright is also out of favour. Sales declined 5.2% in the 12 weeks ended 23 October 2010 and the firm warned tough market conditions will continue into 2011. The closure of its operations in Poland accounted for 0.5% of the total revenue decline. UK and Republic of Ireland sales declined 4.6%, with like-for-like sales down 7.3%.FTSE 250 - RisersTelecity Group (TCY) 503.50p +4.46%Halfords Group (HFD) 425.20p +3.81%Talvivaara Mining Company (TALV) 550.50p +3.38%Heritage Oil (HOIL) 356.00p +2.89%Catlin Group Ltd. (CGL) 356.70p +2.50%Hansen Transmissions International NV (HSN) 41.53p +2.29%Supergroup (SGP) 1,099.00p +1.95%Beazley (BEZ) 120.80p +1.60%F&C Commercial Property Trust Ltd. (FCPT) 90.45p +1.52%Avis Europe (AVE) 221.00p +1.52%FTSE 250 - FallersSoco International (SIA) 299.60p -8.32%CSR (CSR) 319.40p -7.50%PartyGaming (PRTY) 262.50p -6.55%Carpetright (CPR) 697.00p -4.52%Dixons Retail (DXNS) 27.32p -4.24%Provident Financial (PFG) 761.00p -3.37%Fidessa Group (FDSA) 1,534.00p -3.16%Renishaw (RSW) 1,196.00p -3.16%Tate & Lyle (TATE) 506.50p -3.15%International Personal Finance (IPF) 310.90p -3.00%