Offshore Hydrocarbon Mapping plunged 71p to 104p after it gave warning that it did not have enough orders for its cutting-edge electromagnetic technology to keep its two ships and crews busy exploring the sea floor.

General Capital Group, the specialist lender, rose 4p to 91½p after it said that trading would be in line with expectations and that it would benefit from tightening credit conditions that have squeezed normal bank lending to small businesses.

IPSA, the developer of power plants that transported a gas-fired station from the UK to South Africa, rose 9½p to 61p after it signed an outline deal to help the South African Government to install gas turbines at a planned LNG terminal. Coal International, which invests in mining projects and has two big mines in the US, jumped 8¾p to 27p after saying that it had received a bid approach. It has £41 million of tangible assets but its market cap at the close is just £26 million.

THB, the insurance broker, shot up 17½p to 77½p after resolving legal problems over its acquisition of assets from PWS.

Invista Real Estate rose 7¼p to 61¾p after Landsbanki set a target value of 96p. The shares have fallen 39 per cent since their float but the broker said that at current prices the fund management arm is valued at zero, even though it has a good track record and targets prime assets.

Adventis, the ad agency, rose 5½p to 39½p after it said that second-half profits would beat expectations and that it had £4 million cash to buy rivals. Arbuthnot, its broker, cut its price target from 80p to 58p because of the turmoil in property markets.

Cape Lambert Iron Ore strengthened 1¾p to 14½p on revealing that it would soon be granted rights to explore land close to its existing site in Australia.

Vyke, the internet calls provider, rose 1½p to 58p after the broker Daniel Stewart raised its profit forecasts.

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