Companies: APC    BET    CFG    CTGP    ECO    TIME    TLY    TRE    TTH   

Domiciliary care services provider Careforce (CFG) lost 30 per cent over the week as it confessed that the level of referrals from many of its Local Authority customers had been lower than expected. Management extrapolates that, if this scenario were to continue, profits for the year to July would come in below market expectations.

Carbon credits specialists also subsided this week under red tape pressure, as they felt the effects of the recent drop in the price of some European Union carbon credits. EcoSecurities (ECO) slipped 18 per cent lower to 185p, Trading Emissions (TRE) shed 12 per cent to 126p and Camco (CAO) gave up seven per cent to 72.5p.

These and similar falls dragged AIM down 8.1 points to 1,258.6 this week, mirroring a fall for the blue chip FTSE 100, off 151.3 points to 5,940.4.

Caution from Cartucho

Cartucho (CTGP) was another to disappoint, admitting the roll-out of its innovative printer cartridge refill system ‘will be behind the directors' expectations’. This news sent the shares down 36 per cent to 233.25p, but the board assures interest from the industry in its ‘kiosk’ continues to be ‘high’.

Rochester-based Advanced Power Components (APC), a specialist distributor of electronic components, cheered with news that it has acquired component distributor Hero Electronics for £2 million cash. Its shares fizzed up 55 per cent to 12p, valuing the company at £3.1 million.

Bingo and social club operator Top Ten (TTH) intrigued with news that another round of bid talks, this time with an as-yet-undisclosed party, had come to a fruitless end. This second such statement in recent months shaved over 12 per cent off the share price at 112.5p.

Online sports betting and gaming group betinternet (BET) rolled a third higher to 12.13p today on the news it will launch a new version of its website prior to the World Cup next month and, possibly more importantly, that the loss-making website can now accept wagers from customers based in the US.

Giants decide Time’s right

AIM minnow Timestrip (TIME) has caught investor attention, striking deals with corporate collossi Procter & Gamble and Nestlé to use its ‘smart labels’, which can accurately measure elapsed time and have applications in food and pharmaceuticals. Despite ambitious sales projections from analysts, the market focused on 2005 losses of £1.3 million on meagre sales of £100,000 and the shares ticked seven per cent lower to 8.13p.

Elsewhere, multi-disciplined recruiter Imprint (IMP) tacked another few percentage points on to its price on advanced talks to buy ‘one of the leading recruitment companies in Dubai’. The shares are currently priced at 300p, valuing Imprint at £110.2 million.

Jewish-interest publisher and internet provider Totally (TLY) has agreed a five-year joint venture with London Greek Radio to promote a raft of new online services – including dating, directory, property and recruitment – targeting the UK's Greek community. The shares spiked 46 per cent higher to 2.37p in the wake of Thursday’s announcement.

And new, low fare, business class airline silverjet (SIL) touched down on Friday following a £25.3 million fundraising at 112p. The issue gives the start-up company a debut market capitalisation of £33.6 million and provides the financial fuel to launch a first service operating between Luton and Newark airport near New York.