Market report: Friday close

AIM, the London Stock Exchange's junior market, appears to be thriving. Its ranks were swelled by two flotations today, bringing the number of companies quoted to more than 1,000 for the first time.

AEC Education, a provider of courses up to postgraduate level in Singapore and Malaysia, became the 1,000th company after it started trading at 44½p following a placing of 1.8m shares at 41p by broker Hichens, Harrison. The price eventually settled at 44p.

It was also the first day of dealings for Leptis Magna, an investment company specialising in African natural resources and infrastructure projects. Broker WH Ireland placed 2.5m shares at 40p, raising £1m and giving the company a price tag of £3m. The price traded at 43p. The LSE has an enviable record for providing fledgling companies with the opportunity to raise capital to develop their businesses.

Share prices climbed back above the 4700 support level for a time, but it was hard work. The FTSE 100 index clung on to a rise of 5.60 at 4694.0, underpinned by opening gains for the Dow in New York this afternoon.

Food and household products supplier Unilever slipped ½p to 483p after US securities house Goldman Sachs downgraded the shares from an in-line rating to underperform. It has been a difficult year for the Anglo-Dutch group, whose share price has collapsed from a peak of 573p after several profit warnings.

Mining shares received a boost from news of a contract to supply the Chinese with millions of tonnes of coking coal. The new contract values it at $125 a tonne, an increase of 119% on a year ago. It is expected to provide a sizeable boost to the earnings of two of the biggest coking suppliers, Rio Tinto, up 9p at 1439p, and BHP Billiton, 1p better at 567½p.

Taylor Woodrow rose 5½p to 250p on turnover of more than 10m shares. Brokers say the shares, down from a peak 299p, look oversold, and are hoping a would-be bidder might think so too. Speculative buying also lifted Durex supplier SSL International 7p to 283p. Smith & Nephew and Reckitt Benckiser have both been mentioned as potential suitors. Energy supplier Centrica tumbled 20¾p to 229¼p on turnover of more than 160m shares after a trading update failed to meet City expectations. The British Gas supplier blamed a big increase in wholesale gas prices. There was also heavy selling of the shares on Monday.

Better times may lie ahead for shareholders of Tribal, 1p better at 153½p after touching 161p, which was rocked last month by a profits warning. Now it has landed a five-year contract with the NHS to design, set up and manage five regional treatment centres in mid-Sussex. This is to include the provision for 16,000 operations to supply artificial hip and knee joints.

Recently floated website designer Mediasurface was ¼p lower at 7½p after producing maiden results showing pre-tax losses down to £737,394 from £2.2m.

Aim-listed Tanfield marked time on 11¼p as it announced plans to place 30m shares at 10p. Founder and chief executive Roy Stanley is also placing 11m, reducing his holding to 37.8m. Glassmaker Pilkington put on 2¾p to 108¼p after UBS raised its target from 95p to 111p and repeated its neutral rating. Insurance broker Beazley rose 1p to 85½p as a clutch of delayed trades when through on the ticker, including a line of 26.58m at 84¼p.