| CATEGORY: RISERS AND FALLERS SECTOR: TRAVEL & LEISURE |
FTSE 250 movers: 888 heads higher, Halfords slips |
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Thu 06 Apr 2006
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LONDON (SHARECAST) - Online gaming group 888 Holdings racked up an impressive performance today as it rose in sympathy with news that the US may be more lenient than feared on internet gamblers.
The House Judiciary Committee yesterday appeared to throw up opposition to a bill designed to make it illegal for Americans to use overseas gaming sites.
There is also a second bill, which is intended to ban credit card and other electronic payments to overseas gambling sites - their main source of revenue.
Elsewhere recruitment firm Michael Page was on its way up after the group announced a strong first quarter performance, with a particular push from its continental European operations.
The group said first quarter gross profits rose 31.9% to £79.1m compared with £59.9m a year earlier while in the UK business specifically gross profits rose 22.9% to £36.6m.
Cycling and car accessory retailer Halfords slipped back after it said sales for the year to March increased by 8.4%, with like-for-like sales growing by 6.1%.
The group said growth in in-car technology means that overall sales mix of the business changed this year and, as expected, dilution of gross margin percentage has occurred.
FTSE 250 - Risers
888 Holdings (888) 249.00p +12.67%
Michael Page (MPI) 374.75p +5.27%
Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) 430.00p +4.50%
Aquarius Platinum (AQP) 898.00p +3.82%
Wincanton (WIN) 335.00p +3.08%
SSL International (SSL) 323.25p +2.95%
Woolworths Group (WLW) 35.50p +2.90%
Kesa Electricals (KESA) 315.50p +2.85%
JKX Oil & Gas (JKX) 323.75p +2.78%
Wetherspoon (JDW) 382.00p +2.55%
FTSE 250 - Fallers
Halfords Group (HFD) 322.00p -3.74%
Filtrona PLC (FLTR) 341.25p -3.60%
iSOFT Group (IOT) 142.00p -3.40%
Wolverhampton and Dudley (WOLV) 1,290.00p -2.05%
Whitbread (WTB) 1,138.00p -1.90%
Victrex (VCT) 746.00p -1.84%
Cambridge Antibody (CAT) 791.50p -1.80%
Rank Group (RNK) 239.25p -1.75%
Soco International (SIA) 1,166.00p -1.69%
Premier Foods (PFD) 295.00p -1.67%
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