UK Market News

LONDON (ShareCast) - The mid-cap index is all about the housebuilders Wednesday, with both Taylor Wimpey (LSE: TW.L - news) and Redrow (LSE: RDW.L - news) confirming that their businesses have stabilised.

Taylor Wimpey said UK orders are steady and selling prices have risen 9% from the £163,000 average at the end of July.

Redrow's house sales have been 'remarkably stable' in the second half of the year, having lifted net private reservations in the 18 weeks from 1 July to an average of 45 a week, 47% ahead year-on-year. Selling prices also improved, up to an average of £149,000.

Meanwhile, Barratt Developments (LSE: BDEV.L - news) has received 92.3% acceptances for its recently announced fully underwritten £720m rights issue.

On the downside, the market is unimpressed with news that bus and train operator Go-ahead has set up a joint venture to pitch for school bus contracts in and around Chicago in the USA.

FTSE 250 (news) - Risers Barratt Developments (BDEV) 134.10p +10.92% Persimmon (LSE: PSN.L - news) (PSN) 422.50p +10.23% Imagination Technologies (LSE: IMG.L - news) (IMG) 219.40p +9.92% Trinity Mirror (LSE: TNI.L - news) (TNI) 165.90p +8.72% Taylor Wimpey (TW.) 39.94p +8.03% Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC.L - news) (HOC) 291.00p +7.74% Premier Foods (LSE: PFD.L - news) (PFD) 36.31p +7.30% Redrow (RDW) 149.00p +6.89% Lamprell (LSE: LAM.L - news) (LAM) 213.10p +6.82% Berkeley Group Holdings Units (BKG) 887.50p +6.80%

FTSE 250 - Fallers Laird (LSE: LRD.L - news) (LRD) 128.20p -7.24% Go-Ahead Group (GOG) 1,407.00p -3.03% Provident Financial (PFG) 904.00p -3.00% RPS Group (LSE: RPS.L - news) (RPS) 199.40p -2.49% Dairy Crest Group (LSE: DCG.L - news) (DCG) 387.20p -2.15% Homeserve (LSE: HSV.L - news) (HSV) 1,579.00p -1.74% Britvic (LSE: BVIC.L - news) (BVIC) 347.20p -1.59% Ashmore Group (LSE: ASHM.L - news) (ASHM) 271.20p -1.38% PV Crystalox Solar (LSE: PVCS.L - news) (PVCS) 64.65p -1.15% Drax Group (LSE: DRX.L - news) (DRX) 463.50p -0.77%