Below are some of the main news-driven share price changes among FTSE 350 stocks at 1.00pm.
RISERS
Alent (LON:ALNT), up 43.7%. Chemical manufacturer Platform Speciality Products (LON:PAH) is to make an agreed bid that values each LON:ALNT
International Consolidate Airlines (LON:IAG), up 2.2%. UBS has upgraded the British Airways owner to 'buy'.
Marks & Spencer (LON:MKS), up 1.3%. Deutsche Bank has nudged up its price target for M&S to 600p from 580p.
FALLERS
International Personal Finance (LON:IPF), down 16.1%. A proposed amendment to a credit charge cap scheme could seriously hit the home credit firm's profits in Poland.
Nostrum Oil & Gas (LON:NOG), down 0.7%. The shares are falling in a rising market after the company made a bid approach to Tethys Petroleum (see below).
ARM Holdings (LON:ARM), down 0.3%. Cazenove is now recommending its clients be underweight in the chip designer, having previously advocated a neutral position. The target price has been cut to 900p from 950p.
Below are some of the main news-driven share price changes at 9.15am.
RISERS
Alent (LON:ALNT), up 43.9%. Mergers & acquisitions season (M&A) is upon us, with Platform Specialty Products making an agreed bid for LON:ALNT
Tethys Petroleum (LON:TPL), up 25.8%. Did someone mention M&A? Nostrum Oil & Gas (LON:NOG) has made an approach to the Tethys board, asking if it would be interested in recommending a bid worth 21.85 Canadian cents per share. Tethys's shares closed at 15 cents on Thursday. Nostrum has also proposed providing interim funding support to Tethys on terms that are “as least as advantageous” to Tethys as those proposed by AGR Energy.
Anglo Asian Mining (LON:AAZ), up 25.0%. The gold, copper and silver producer focused on Azerbaijan cheered the market with an operations update from its Gebadek mine, with half-year gold production hitting record levels.
FALLERS
Invista European Real Estate Trust (LON:IERE), down 37.5%. The shares were hit by news of a tenant default that, in the absence of new tenants being contracted, would have a material adverse effect on future rental income. The company has decided that the best course of action is to engage in a fire sale to keep its lenders onside.
International Personal Finance (LON:IPF), down 13.1%. A late change to a law passing through the Polish parliament could mean that all non-interest costs in connection with a consumer loan agreement may be subject to a cap. IPF, which has developed a product that addressed and complied with the draft legislation prepared by the Government, is currently reviewing the legislation to see how it will affect that product.
Active Energy (LON:AEG), down 9.0%. The wood chip supplier said there has been a delay in installing new handling equipment, which means hardwood chip volumes for 2015 will be lower than previously expected, though they will still be at least twice the level they were last year.