With markets edging higher in the last trading day of the year, there are a couple of notable exceptions after trading updates.
Bwin party.digital is down 3p or 2.5% after Tuesday’s after-hours announcement that the gaming group now expected full year revenues of between €608m and €612m, down from City estimates of €618m-€630m.
It blamed weak margins in its sports betting business, particularly in December, and relating to leading European teams enjoying strong runs and hitting its sports books. The company is still in discussions with a number of businesses about possible combinations.
Elsewhere mining group Lonmin is down 1p at 175.7p as it announced it had stopped its Number two furnace at a South African mine after detecting electrode breaks. The stoppage is expected to last 21 days, and Lonmin said it expected 2015 sales to be back end loaded to the second half of the year. Its net borrowings are forecast to rise further at the end of March as a direct result of lower first half sales volumes.
Overall the FTSE 100 has added 14.05 points to 6561.05, following weak Chinese data which has pushed the oil price lower again, and the continuing concerns about the eurozone after Greece’s snap election call.
The shortened trading day means that this December is likely to be the first one since 2002 which has not seen a gain on the month.
With the crude price fall - Brent is currently down another 1.7% at $56.92 a barrel on oversupply concerns - oil companies and miners are among the main fallers.
Royal Dutch Shell A shares are down 9p at £21.51, while Tullow Oil is 5.3p lower at 410.1p. But BP is 1p better at 410.3p after Egypt paid $2.1bn owed to foreign energy companies.
