Friday’s Master Investor Market Report

• The FTSE 100 closed the day at 6,448.08, an increase of 67.80 points.
• The FTSE 250 rose by 196.16 points to finish at 17,240.70.
• The FTSE All Share grew by 37.28 points to 3,526.02.
• The FTSE AIM All Share finished at 747.30, up by 2.61 points.

Telecoms provider TalkTalk (TALK) has seen its shares drop by 4.36% to 256.80p after the company confirmed that the Metropolitan Police Cyber Crime Unit was investigating a potential major data breach. A significant and sustained attack is said to have been taking place over the last twelve months and management send they would inform customers of any security failures as soon as possible.

Bookmaker William Hill (WMH) suffered in the the 13 weeks ended 29th September as its gross win margin dropped significantly from last year’s highs. As a result, operating profits are down 39% from those in the third quarter of 2014. This was particularly noticeable in Australia where operating profits plummeted 91% after a string of adverse sporting results, despite revenues starting to stabilise. Shore Capital said that the update was disappointing, but retained its “hold” rating. William Hill shares declined by7.93% to 318p.

Veterinary drug manufacturer Dechra Pharmaceuticals (DPH) has posted a 13% increase in revenues for the three months ended 30th September, which has been driven by a phenomenal performance in North America. Management are excited about the growth potential of two recent acquisitions that will give the firm greater access to the poultry and equine lameness markets. The shares rose by 24.50p to 975p.

Circuit board specialist Holders Technology (HDT) has had its shares drop sharply today after it said it expects that to report an operating loss for the year ended 30th November. Revenues have been hit by the strength of the Pound, disruption of a major customer’s trading and falling demand for certain product lines. Additionally, the company faces an unexpected bill due to a recent EU tax ruling. The shares closed the day at 30p, down by 20%.

Monday’s news today

Avacta (AVCT) will publishits final results on Monday morning.

Quote of the day

“Change before you have to.” 
– Jack Welch