SOARING oil prices helped to support Scotland's oil and gas explorers, with Dana Petroleum closing 0.6 per cent higher.
Shares in the Aberdeen-based firm, which rose 12p to 1,899p, were also given a boost by a bullish trading update. Dana told investors that it expects production for 2008 to average between 40,000 and 45,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, repres
enting more than 30 per cent growth over 2007.
It said that up to 17 exploration wells are scheduled this year, with rigs for 14 of these already secured.
Meanwhile, Cairn Energy touched a fresh closing high of 3,547p, a gain of 15p, following Thursday's surge, while Venture Production added 5.5p, or 0.7 per cent, at 835.5p.
Elsewhere, broadcaster SMG was unchanged on 11.5p after saying its television business had outperformed the wider ITV network, but it had also seen weakness in its radio and cinema markets.
Shares in MicroEmissive Displays were unchanged at 15p despite share-buying among four of its directors, including chief executive Bill Miller and chairman George Elliott.
Wolfson Microelectronics dipped 1.5p to 128.75p as it announced that Jill Goldsmith had been appointed company secretary with immediate effect.
The full article contains 216 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
