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UK stocks made modest gains in early trading on Wednesday in a quiet day for local corporate and economic news, as investors brace for an update from the US Federal Reserve due later in the week.
At 0817, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 10.31 points, or 0.1%, at 7.,136.09.
Building materials distributor Grafton rose 2.3% to £13.39 after it reported a jump in first-half profit amid a recovery in housebuilding that underpinned a 46% surge in revenue.
Grafton reinstated its interim dividend at 8.5p per share.
Leeds-based retail logistics group Clipper Logistics advanced 1.0% to 820p, having hiked its final dividend after profit jumped by a third in the first half, driven by 'high' demand for e-fulfilment services.
Clipper Logistics recommended a final dividend of 7.1p per share, bringing the total annual payout to 11.1p, up 14% year-on-year.
Marketing company Next Fifteen Communications rallied 4.1% to 978.55p after it reported 31% growth in first-half revenue, beating its expectations, and upgraded its annual guidance.
Next Fifteen said organic growth was expected to moderate in the second half, given a relatively strong comparator, but was still anticipated to be higher than previously envisioned.
Bingo and casinos outfit Rank climbed 1.5% to 175.2p on noting that UK tax authorities had decided to not to appeal a tribunal decision regarding value-added tax on slot machine income.
Rank said the tribunal had agreed a 60-day extension to allow Her Majesty's Revenue and Customers to agree the exact quantum of the claim, still expected to be around £80 million.
Gem miner Petra Diamonds firmed 2.7% to 1.73p after it revealed that it had sold two large diamonds from its Cullinan Mine in South Africa for a combined $13.5 million.
The 342.92 carat type IIa white diamond and 18.30 carat type IIb blue diamond had been sold into a partnership with Stargems.
Sustainable fuels group Velocys ascended 2.3% to 4.81p on news that its technology had been selected for an e-fuels project by Toyo Engineering and its consortium of six Japanese companies.
The companies had been commissioned by the Japanese government to jointly to commence a demonstration project.
Energy infrastructure group Smart Metering Systems added 1.2% to 947.26p after it won a new domestic smart meter contract and secured an additional grid-scale battery project.
Smart Metering Systems would provide services to a 'large energy supplier' for the installation of at least 400,000 domestic smart meters, plus a further 50 megawatt battery project.