Given the current UK cold spell, investors’ thoughts turned to hopes for trips to warmer climes.
Holidays firm Jet 2 soared as it unveiled record results and passenger figures for the first half and said its full-year profit should beat expectations.
Passenger numbers rose 11 per cent to 13.34million, up from 11.97million a year earlier, as package holidays and flight-only sales grew, helped by increased capacity after ten Airbus A321neo jets entered service.
Profits up: Holidays firm Jet 2 soared as it unveiled record results and passenger figures for the first half and said its full-year profit should beat expectations
Revenue was up 15 per cent to £5.09billion for the six months to September 30, aiding a 16 per cent increase in adjusted profit to £772.4million.
Full-year adjusted profit is likely to beat its average market forecast of £541million. Shares roared up 5.8 per cent, or 82p, to 1500p.
The FTSE 100 closed 0.8 per cent, or 64.20 points, higher at 8149.27, while the FTSE 250 added 0.5 per cent, or 105.16 points, to 20,349.92.
Despite the price of gold rising, miner Endeavour Mining dipped 0.7 per cent, or 11p, to 1560p and Hochschild lost 0.4 per cent, or 1p, to 226p.
Elsewhere among the blue-chips, Halma took on 5.7 per cent or 143p, to 2645p as the safety equipment and hazard detection products group raised its interim dividend 7 per cent after a record first-half when sales topped the £1billion mark.
Among the mid-caps, Ithaca Energy jumped 9.2 per cent, or 9.2p, to 109p after announcing a $200million (£158.8million) special dividend as the North Sea oil and gas company hailed its deal with Eni UK.
Stock Watch – Shield Therapeutics
Shield Therapeutics reported strong sales of its iron deficiency drug Accrufer in October, bolstered by an rise in the selling price to over £178 per prescription, up from £132 in the third quarter.
The October performance keeps it on track to meet its full-year revenue target of £25million.
It said that recruitment has been completed for the phase III confirmatory study of the drug in China.
Shield rose 10.3 per cent, or 0.28p, to 2.95p.
The big shareholder payout came as Ithaca’s net income in the nine months to September 30 dropped by 44 per cent, which reflected its performance before the Italian tie-up.
Elsewhere, cement firm Breedon Group gained 2.8 per cent, or 12.5p, to 452p as it reported a resilient trading for the 10 months to October 31, driven by robust pricing despite a challenging UK construction market.
And PZ Cussons moved 2.1 per cent, or 1.6p, higher to 78.5p after the maker of Imperial Leather soaps and Carex hand gels said it expected to report first-half revenue growth of 5 per cent.
But CMC Markets fell 14.8 per cent, or 50p, to 288.5p as the trading and investment platform kept its full year guidance unchanged despite reporting strong first half results.
Paypoint dropped 6 per cent, or 50p, to 785p as it highlighted challenges in the broader UK economy related to consumer confidence and spending.
And Auction Technology Group lost 3.7 per cent, or 16.5p, to 428.5p as analysts at Jefferies started coverage on the firm with an underperform rating and a target price of just 380p.
Among the small caps, Nostra Terra was the biggest loser, dropping 36.7 per cent, or 0.01p, to 0.02p as the explorer raised £500,000 through a subscription and placing, issuing 2.17billion shares at 0.023p each to bolster its coffers as it prepares to further lift production in Texas.
However, Caspian Sunrise jumped 25 per cent, or 0.7p, higher to 3.5p as it unveiled a conditional agreement with Absolute Resources to sell Kazakhstan assets for £69million.
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