Below are some of the main news-driven share price changes among FTSE 350 stocks at 12.45pm.
RISERS
Berkeley Group (LON:BKG), up 7.4%. The house builder shrugged off recent government changes to buy-to-let taxes and vowed to increase dividend payments by an additional 26% over the next six years.
Ophir Energy (LON:OPHR), up 7.2%. Broker Jefferies upgraded the stock yesterday while today it was reported that the number of shares borrowed by short sellers – traders who sell shares they do not own in the hope of buying them back cheaper later – has reduced by 18%.
Debenhams (LON:DEB), up 0.6%. The department store chain has shrugged off a sell note from Goldman Sachs, rising to 80p, 7p above the US bank's price target.
FALLERS
Associated British Foods (LON:ABF), down 0.4%. The Primark owner has had its target price cut to 3,320p from 3,700p by Goldman Sachs.
Pearson (LON:PSON), down 1.4%. Nomura has stayed neutral on the stock but has cut its target price to 950p from 1,050p.
IG Group (LON:IGG), down 0.9%. Interim chief executive Peter Hetherington has got the gig permanently at the spread betting firm.
Below are some of the main news-driven share price changes at 9.00am.
RISERS
Zincox Resources (LON:ZOX), up 20.7%. The shares are bouncing back strongly today after taking a fall yesterday on the news that Majedie Asset Management had sold its holding.
Secure Trust Bank (LON:STB), up 8.6%. The challenger bank is to offload its branch-based consumer lending business, Everyday Loans Holdings, to Non Standard Finance (LON:NSF).
Crimson Tide (LON:TIDE), up 7.1%. The roll-out of its mpro5 solution with one of the country's leading retailers, first announced in September, is ahead of schedule, which means revenues will roll in more quickly than originally anticipated.
FALLERS
Escher Group (LON:ESCH), down 34.1%. The point of service software provider warned that profits will be lower than expected as a result of a shortfall in revenues.
Motive Television (LON:MTV), down 29.2%. The company is making progress on extending the deadline for conversion of its convertible loan notes, but the clock is ticking …
Papua Mining (LON:PML), down 23.5%. The shares fell to 1.625p after the company announced plans to issue shares at a penny a pop.