FTSE 250 movers: Hays climbs, Amigo Holdings falters
London’s FTSE 250 was up 0.58% at 19,762.86 in afternoon trade on Tuesday, as recruitment outfit Hays led the index higher.
Insurer Beazley advanced as it said its first-half earnings nearly tripled compared to last year and it expects double-digit premium growth over the year.
Analysts at Canaccord said: "We see these as pretty good results given the warning on losses at Q1 and we note that the underlying tone is positive.
"Yes, FY2019 will be affected by reserve strengthening on current and prior years, plus a rebuilding of the reserve buffer, but we see this as very much a specific 2019 issue and are encouraged by the growth expectation/rate rises seen."
Energean Oil & Gas, Wood Group and Weir Group were all trading higher as oil prices edged up amid concerns over supply disruptions in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, IMI inched north ahead of the release of its interim results on Friday.
Amigo Holdings led the fallers lower at the other end of the index, while Ted Baker slid back down after rallying on Monday amid rumours that founder Ray Kelvin is considering plans to back a private-equity buyout of the company, four months after he quit following allegations of sexual harassment.
Finally, FDM Group's shares dipped after it said it has seen a reduction in demand from the UK as government clients struggle with a lack of clarity in the Brexit process, while demand also dropped from financial services companies in North America.
Analysts at Shore Capital said: "FDM as a group continues to benefit from its push into new geographies, sector verticals outside Financials, and new technologies on which to train Mounties.
"There may be additional pressure on H2 performance, but over time, this diversification will allow the reliance on specific sectors and specific geographies to reduce, while delivering multi-year growth at strong margins."
Market Movers
FTSE 250 (MCX) 19,762.86 0.58%
FTSE 250 - Risers
Hays (HAS) 154.20p 4.83%
Energean Oil & Gas (ENOG) 1,030.00p 4.57%
Beazley (BEZ) 560.00p 4.38%
Wood Group (John) (WG.) 542.80p 4.14%
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings (AML) 1,032.00p 3.76%
Victrex plc (VCT) 2,014.00p 3.34%
Weir Group (WEIR) 1,529.50p 3.21%
IMI (IMI) 1,024.00p 3.04%
CYBG (CYBG) 205.20p 3.04%
Pagegroup (PAGE) 459.00p 2.91%
FTSE 250 - Fallers
Amigo Holdings (AMGO) 157.40p -4.72%
Ted Baker (TED) 911.43p -4.16%
FDM Group (Holdings) (FDM) 859.00p -4.13%
Kainos Group (KNOS) 573.17p -3.83%
Funding Circle Holdings (FCH) 117.56p -3.48%
Bank of Georgia Group (BGEO) 1,555.00p -2.75%
NewRiver REIT (NRR) 171.20p -2.51%
Dunelm Group (DNLM) 905.50p -2.27%
Sophos Group (SOPH) 444.70p -2.26%
Greggs (GRG) 2,392.00p -2.13%