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The FTSE 100 was up 0.2% by midday helped by weakness in the pound flattering its overseas earnings and strength in the travel sector.
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 goods transporter 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 with Rank, 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 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, while securing a further 50 megawatt battery project.