Small caps round-up: Corero, Ila, African Aura Mining

Software company Corero, which focuses on the banking, securities and education markets, rallied after announcing it has signed an agreement with African Alliance, an investment banking group operating in Africa, for its Blue Curve product suite.Ila's shareholders also cheered a new contract win. The group said it has secured a deal to supply Finnish food retailer Kesko with its Ila Dusk. The Dusk is a personal alarm that emits a piercing, high decibel female scream designed to shock and disorientate an attacker.Iron ore and gold miner African Aura Mining rose on news that it has conducted a private placing to raise gross proceeds of about £11.3m via a placing of 17,398,770 new shares at a price of 65 pence per share.Shares in Merchant Securities soared after the wealth manager said pre-tax profits for the year to March 31 to exceed expectations, helped by the benefits achieved from the integration of subsidiaries.Sanderson, which provides software and IT services to the retail and manufacturing markets, said the improvement in trading momentum first experienced in late summer has been maintained.Shares in Sunkar Resources fell back after the Kazakh fertiliser plant operator posted a pre-tax loss of $14.4m in the year to December 31, up from $13.9m the previous year.Positive test results from metallurgical testwork on barite from the Derryginagh mine in Ireland sent shares in Sunrise Diamonds soaring. Feed additives firm Kiotech saw underlying profit before tax and share based payments climb to £0.76m from £0.55m the year before on sales that doubled to £10.96m from £5.43m. The sales boost was achieved with a three-month contribution from recently acquired Optivite. The final dividend has been hiked by 25% to 0.05p from 0.04p the year before. Solar power technology group Jetion Solar Holdings has been served a writ for non-payment of $2.7m relating to an alleged contract to buy enterprise resource planning in 2007. The company is contesting the claim and its legal advisers are confident it will win the case.