The FTSE 100 ended higher on Friday. London’s blue-chip index closed up 26.16 points, or 0.3%, at 10,679.03.
The FTSE 250 rose 121.22 points, or 0.5%, to 23,538.80, while the AIM All-Share slipped 1.36 points, or 0.2%, to 776.09. For the week, the FTSE 100 gained 1.6%, the FTSE 250 rose 1.7%, and the AIM All-Share advanced 0.9%
Risers
The week’s biggest riser was Empyrean Energy PLC (LON: EME), up 33%, as investors continued to chase the stock higher following progress at the Mako gas field in Indonesia.
Celsius Resources Ltd (LON: CLA) rose 27% after agreeing to sell its 95% stake in Namibia’s Opuwo cobalt-copper project to a Chinalco subsidiary for US$15 million, or around A$21.7 million. The proceeds are expected to support its pivot towards copper-gold opportunities in the Philippines, subject to arbitration and shareholder approval.
tinyBuild Inc (LON: TBLD), the video games publisher and developer, jumped 22% after chief executive Alex Nichiporchik bought 200,000 shares. Director buying is often watched closely by small-cap investors because it can indicate confidence from management, although it is not a guarantee of future performance.
Touchstone Exploration Inc. (LON: TXP) saw its shares move higher after chief executive Paul Baay purchased 183,800 shares in the oil and gas company at C$0.135 each. The market reacted positively to the director share purchase, with Touchstone’s share price rising 7.41% to 7.25p.
United Oil & Gas Plc (LON: UOG) also advanced after raising £500,000 through a placing at 0.2p per share. The funding provides additional working capital as the company continues the farm-out process for its Walton-Morant licence in Jamaica. Shares in United Oil & Gas gained 4.44% to 0.235p.
Strategic Minerals Plc (LON: SML) shares roses 1.42% after reported further progress at its Redmoor tungsten, tin and copper project in Cornwall after securing local government approval for an expanded drilling programme. The campaign is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2027. The company also confirmed that drill hole CRD044 has been completed, intersecting the full thickness of the Redmoor Sheeted Vein System.
Fallers
Huddled Group Plc (LON: HUD) topped the small-cap fallers after its shares dropped by around 50% over the week. The AIM-listed online retailer came under heavy pressure after completing a £1.2 million share subscription, with the discounted fundraising weighing sharply on investor sentiment.
Oxford BioDynamics PLC (LON: OBD), fell 33% over the week despite what initially looked like a string of positive updates. The company said trading was in line with expectations, appointed a new chief executive with a strong industry reputation, and secured a US contract sales partnership.
Oracle Power Plc (LON: ORCP) declined after raising £500,000 through a placing at 0.04p per share. The funds will primarily support the company’s mining projects in Australia, including progress towards gold production at the Northern Zone project, while also providing investment for its projects in Pakistan. Oracle Power shares dropped 15% to 0.0425p.
Litigation Capital Management Ltd (LON: LIT) weakened after confirming it had been unsuccessful in seeking permission to appeal a competition claim loss. The company will write off the related £800,000 value. Shares in Litigation Capital Management dipped 13.65% to 1.72p.
Helix Exploration Plc (LON: HEX) was among the week’s more notable fundraisers, securing £16 million to expand its helium operations in Oklahoma. A separate retail offer could add up to a further £1.6 million. Despite the funding progress, the shares fell by around 21% over the week, suggesting investors reacted cautiously to the placing. However, the scale of the raise underlines continued backing for Helix’s longer-term strategy as it looks to build out its helium production and infrastructure footprint.
Digital health company MedPal AI Plc (LON: MPAL) also moved lower after announcing plans to raise £5 million at 3.5p per share. The proceeds will fund the acquisition of Solid State Technologies, an electronic Medicines Administration Record software provider, and provide additional working capital to support record NHS dispensing volumes. MedPal AI shares slid 8.75% to 3.65p.
