Three things you need to know in the financial markets this morning from investment writer, Tony Cross.
William Hill
There’s a trading statement out from William Hill [LON:WMH] this morning, covering the 17 week period to the end of October. Numbers are somewhat skewed following the acquisition of Mr Green, but even adjusting for that, the company is finding growth in most divisions. UK retail is the struggling component here, but the company remains on course to deliver against full year expectations.
Centrica
Centrica LON:CNA has also published a trading update today, showing growth in customer accounts, cost efficiency savings and improved margins. This has been sufficient to offset the impact of outages at some of the company’s power plants and the full year outlook remains unchanged. That may shift depending on just how cold the winter months are, but will this be sufficient to give long suffering investors cause for cheer?
Royal Mail
Half year numbers from Royal Mail LON:RMG are out, noting that group revenues, up 5.1%, illustrate the best performance for the UK division in the last five years. The company is however mindful of the deteriorating economic picture in the UK, which is expected to have an impact on volumes in the New Year. Already slim margins are also being squeezed and now sit at just 3.2% – the company is certainly trying to adapt to the changing market, but there’s still work to be done.
