The end of quarter is approaching so companies were rushing out end-June trading updates, leading to a very heavy news day.
To make the report easier to read, the news summary has been dividend into two: miners and the rest.
Starting with the software firms, mobile business organiser software group Globo (LON:GBO) reported another strong half for sales, profits and user growth.
Revenue in the half year to June rose 56% to €72.4mln (2014: €46.5mln), while profits rose by 37% to €34.2mln.
Mobile commerce group mporium (LON:MPM) told investors it has completed the acquisition of the remaining 49.999% interest in InTELEgentsia.
The acquisition, satisfied by the issue of £250,000 worth of mporium shares, is the next step in the group’s transformation and re-positioning.
Personal fitness and health monitoring group CloudTag (LON:CTAG) said it has successfully added user profiling technology to its wearable device app.
Software developer Preciousbluedot has integrated Adience's technology which will allow CloudTag to track a user’s health preferences through algorithms based on more than 1,000 different data points.
TV set-top box software specialist Mirada (LON:MIRA) has seen the next phase of a contract roll-out with South American media group Televisa delayed by a few months.
Mirada said it was an internal issue at Televisa that had caused the delay and at Cablevision Monterrey, the first of five Televisa networks to take its Iris multi-screen product, the performance had been better than expected.
E-learning specialist Learning Technologies Group (LON:LTG) swung to a first half profit and is on the hunt for more deals.
Sales for the six months to June 30 rose almost 30% to £8.4mln while the company made a pre-tax profit of £209,000 compared to a £127,000 loss a year ago.
Instem (LON:INS) said demand had “intensified” in the clinical and pre-clinical sectors as it published a strong set of interims.
The group, which provides IT services to drug developers, reported a 31% increase in turnover, which pushed underlying earnings (EBITDA) to £900,000 (from £100,000 12 months ago).
It said 67% of total revenues are now recurring, an increase of 19%.
Moving on to the pharma sector, Silence Therapeutics (LON:SLN) chief executive Ali Mortazavi said the first half of 2015 had been transformational for the novel RNA therapeutics specialist.
Net cash at the end of the reporting period stood at £55.8mln – about one third of the company's market capitalisation – versus £21.3mln a year earlier, after a well-received £38.9mln fund-raising that saw prestigious funds such as Invesco and Woodford Investment Management added to the shareholder register.
Life sciences group OptiBiotix Health (LON:OPTI) has started pilot manufacturing studies after completing human testing of its cholesterol reducing capsules.
The aim of the human study was to confirm safety requirements and to analyse the full potential of the cholesterol lowering product.
Optibiotix has an option agreement in place with an unnamed multinational company that gives the corporation the first look at the results and the option to take the product on further.
The clinical services group Ergomed (LON:ERGO) said it has signed £15mln of new contracts in the first half as it unveiled a strong financial performance in that period.
Revenues in the six month to June 30 rose 85% to £7.8mln, giving underlying earnings (EBITDA) of £1.5mln, representing a rise of 66%.
Drug developer E-Therapeutics (LON:ETX) is mulling taking full control of the technology behind in its drug discovery platform.
E-Therapeutics, which ended its latest half year with cash of more than £30mln, said the value of any such acquisition would not exceed £2.5mln with a possible share element.
Interim losses to June were £5.8m (£5.1m) reflecting increased spending in both discovery and development arms offset slightly by lower administrative costs.
Motif Bio (LON:MTFB) told investors it will present data from its clinical studies on its novel antibiotics at the Infectious Disease Week 2015 conference in San Diego.
The conference takes place next month – between October 7 and 11 – and the posters are both focused on findings relating to the studies on the Iclaprim antibiotic which is currently in Phase III studies.
On to the energy sector, where Rame Energy's (LON:RAME) revenues bounded ahead in its latest half year as its portfolio of wind and solar projects in South America started to mature.
Revenues were just shy of US$3mln (2014: US$398,000) in the six months to June, while losses fell to US$1.06mln (US$1.14mln).
The renewable energy firm Aggregated Micro Power Holdings (LON:AMPH) looks to be making significant progress on multiple fronts, judging by the interim results statement.
The group said this morning it now has a £10mln pipeline of biomass boiler contracts to be refinanced by its special purpose vehicle Aggregated Micro Power Infrastructure Limited 1, which should generate development fees.
As is common with companies at this formative stage of development, AMPH was loss making. The shortfall of £4.7mln included a £2.8mln impairment charge related to the refurbishment of the Low Plains operation. The company was sitting on cash and equivalents of £1.8mln as at June 30.
Interim results released today by biomass group Active Energy (LON:AEG) reflect excellent progress, says chief executive Richard Spinks.
Active Energy revealed an 11% rise in revenue to US$12mln while gross profits improved more than 98% to US$1.22mln, and a pre-tax loss of US$2mln included significantly higher finance cost, the company added.
Solo Oil (LON:SOLO) has told investors that it continues to actively assess new investment opportunities in Africa and elsewhere.
In terms of financial results, the pre-revenue company reported a £372,000 operating loss, though it also revealed £679,000 of charges relating to a financial instrument with YA Global Master as well as £49,000 for other finance charges.
At June 30, the company had £1.3mln of cash and equivalents.
Trinity Exploration & Production (LON:TRIN) told investors it is on track to cut costs by 20% during 2015.
It reported revenue of US$27.8mln for the first half, compared with US$62.3mln in the first half of last year. Operating costs for the first half, meanwhile, reduced by 36% compared with last year to US$12mln.
Earnings – EBITDA - before exceptional items and exploration write offs – amounted to US$1.6mln (compared with US$12.5mln in H1 2014) and a similarly adjusted operating loss figure was reported at US$1.3mln (US$3.8mln H1 2014).
The deadline for Mosman Oil & Gas (LON:MSMN) to prove it has sufficient funding for the STEP acquisition has been extended to October 9, from September 30.
The company told investors that the short extension would allow it to complete final documentation for its agreed royalty funding deal with Ridge Royalty Corp.
Providence Resources (LON:PVR) revealed it has begun a programme to remove “any and all non-essential costs” from the business.
It says the initiative will deliver meaningful savings going forward.
The company, which does not own revenue generating assets, reported a €3.78mln operating loss for the six months to June 30. The net loss was reported as €8.425mln.
Providence ended June with €11.28mln of cash and equivalents, and it had €15.6mln of debt.
Madagascar Oil (LON:MOIL) has secured additional funding while it continues its search for a partner to work on the Tsimiroro field.
The US$21.9mln bridge financing facility will incorporate an existing US$5mln loan, giving the company US$16.9mln in new funds.
Around half (US$8.9mln) is likely to be received within a few days, pending Madagascar meeting certain criteria, with the remainder due in January, the company said.
Away from the energy sector, North American iodine producer Iofina (LON:IOF) took a hit from lower iodine prices but unveiled reduced losses and record production.
Iofina said revenue in the six months to June 30 fell to US$11,062,861 from US$13,020,185 a year ago as iodine prices dropped year-on-year, but the group said losses reduced to US$467,481 from US$1,303,081 last time.
Low cost carrier fastjet (LON:FJET) has added Africa expert and former Caledonia Investments (LON:CLDN) chief executive Tim Ingram to bolster its board.
Ingram, 68, has been added as a non-executive director.
Obtala Resources (LON:OBT) doubled interim revenues to £2.2mln as its timber business and agribusiness continued to expand.
The company made a pre-tax profit of £5.7mln compared to just £283,000 in 2014, thanks to an £8.6mln asset revaluation, there was an operating loss of £2.7mln.