FTSE 250 movers: Moneysupermarket extends rally, Hochschild tracks seven-year high in gold

Shareholders in Moneysupermarket.com were ‘in the money’ on Thursday after the price comparison website said that its full-year pre-tax profit rose to £116m from £106.9m in 2018, thanks to strong showings from both its home services and insurance units.

So with basic earnings per share ahead by 9% to 17.7p, the dividend was lifted 6% to 11.71p a share.

Shares of Hochschild Mining shone bright on Thursday as April gold futures notched up a fresh seven-year high on COMEX of $1,621.90/oz..

TBC Bank Group shares jumped following news that solid economic conditions across Georgia had fed a rise in the lender’s full-year underlying return on equity to 22.6%, alongside a 3.3% return on assets.

Stock in Spectris was also on the up, by 5.19% to be more precise, after the precision measurement and control equipment specialist unveiled a 2.5% increase in full-year operating profits and unveiled a £175.0m special dividend.

That helped investors get over management’s warning that “challenging” markets lay ahead in the first half of 2020 and news of lessened activity in China in the wake of the recent coronavirus outbreak.

Market Movers

FTSE 250 (MCX) 21,883.92 0.15%