It was a similar story for MJ Gleeson, which specialises in building homes in the north of England.
It improved 14p to 549p, with the Help to Buy scheme boosting sales so much that it lifted its annual guidance.
With Christmas party season in full flow and many feeling a bit worse for wear from booze-ups last night, investors were in no mood to light up the trading screens — not that there was much to set pulses racing.
The FTSE 100 drifted down 36.82 points to 6051.23, making it seven days in the red and no sign of the festive spirit which usually drives the fabled Santa Rally at the end of the year.
Taking a break: There's been no sign of the traditional 'Santa Rally' (Picture: Reuters)
Neil Hall/Reuters
Shares in Anglo-African financial services group Old Mutual were still in a tailspin over the turmoil in South Africa, tanking 14.4p or 8% to 159.85p. An already difficult environment was made worse yesterday when president Zuma ousted his respected finance minister Nhlanhla Nene, piling pressure on the rand.
Investec, which like Old Mutual is listed in both London and Johannesburg, fell 29.9p to 440p and packaging group Mondi, which has operations in South Africa, retreated 30p to 1286p.
The sell-off at Apple supplier Imagination Technologies ramped up as it dropped 9.75p to 175.25p, and International Personal Finance slumped 79.6p or 25% to 243.6p as the loan provider admitted it faces a material hit in Slovakia, which is outlawing the use of cash when delivering credit.
CFD trading firm Plus500, the shirt sponsor of Spanish football club Atletico Madrid, rose 18.5p or 4.5% to 432.5p as it said it will resume taking on new customers in January — just days after broker Numis suspended coverage, citing a string of concerns including regulatory risk.
