London’s FTSE 250 was up 0.7% at 21,230.39 in afternoon trade on Thursday.
Anglo-Russian precious metals miners Polymetal was the standout performer on the index.
Clays bricks and concrete products manufacturer Ibstock rallied after saying its FY22 performance was set to be “modestly ahead” of its previous expectations after a strong start to the year. In an update for the first quarter, the group said it had performance ahead of its expectations, driven by stronger clay brick sales volumes and a resilient margin performance.
Budget airlines Wizz Air and easyJet flew higher following well-received results overnight from United Airlines.
Going the other way, gambling company Rank Group slumped as it cut its full-year guidance pointing to a softer performance in March and inflationary pressures.
Provident Financial and Jupiter Fund Management both fell as they traded without entitlement to the dividend.
FTSE 250 – Risers
Polymetal International (POLY) 266.00p 13.82%
Ibstock (IBST) 179.30p 7.75%
Oxford Biomedica (OXB) 583.00p 6.97%
Wizz Air Holdings (WIZZ) 3,223.00p 6.83%
SSP Group (SSPG) 242.20p 5.95%
easyJet (EZJ) 595.20p 5.49%
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings (AML) 899.80p 5.14%
WH Smith (SMWH) 1,503.00p 4.74%
Marks & Spencer Group (MKS) 156.20p 4.73%
Syncona Limited NPV (SYNC) 171.00p 4.40%
FTSE 250 – Fallers
Rank Group (RNK) 118.60p -7.63%
Trustpilot Group (TRST) 135.50p -5.11%
888 Holdings (888) 194.00p -4.90%
Moonpig Group (MOON) 204.00p -4.67%
Provident Financial (PFG) 257.40p -3.88%
Auction Technology Group (ATG) 932.00p -3.32%
Jupiter Fund Management (JUP) 202.60p -3.25%
IntegraFin Holding (IHP) 390.40p -2.93%
Abrdn Private Equity Opportunities Trust (APEO) 497.00p -2.93%
Quilter (QLT) 137.45p -2.69%
