TAKING STOCK

Haemocell bounced 3p to 11.5p. As high as 36p a year ago, shares in the loss-making, USM-quoted blood filtration group have been off colour amid signs that sales were slipping. But Haemocell's directors are said to be baffled by the shares' recent weakness and are planning to bring forward the company's results, due on 17 December, to allay fears about current trading.

Shares in Emerald Energy gushed 0.25p higher to 2.5p. It plans to spend $3m drilling a 1.3 billion barrel oil target in Colombia to earn 60 per cent of an onshore field with

"massive potential". Emerald has now finalised arrangements to farm-in to the Apulo Block, containing the structure, which is currently 100 per cent held by Petroleos del Norte, part of Santo Domingo, Colombia's largest industrial group.