Updates from TUI Group, Babcock and Bellway

Updated
savings, tax, stockmarket, pensions, cash, investment FTSE 100
savings, tax, stockmarket, pensions, cash, investment FTSE 100


Another small dip for the FTSE 100 on Monday, down 16.3 points to 6,837.1. ShirePlc and RSA Insurance Group saw 3.5% and 3.3% slips (to 4741p and 439p respectively) while UnitedUtilities fell 3.1% to 962.50p. Better news for miners and oil, recovering from yesterday's losses: Fresnillo climbed 4.1% to 896p while Glencore rose 3.8% to 275.6p.

Across the water the Dow Jones saw slippage, down 95 points to 17,729.2 not helped by more Greek finance worries plus weaker Chinese trade numbers.

We start with a little holiday sun: TUI Group claims a first quarter 15% hike in earnings with Hotels & Resorts and Cruises delivering a significant portion of the improvement. TUI claims it's pleased with overall trading to date for Winter 2014/15 and Summer 2015.

Additionally it claims it's confident of delivering full year underlying operating profit growth of 10% to 15% at constant currency. Meanwhile post-merger synergies should commence during this financial year, it says.

"The Travel result," says chief exec Friedrich Joussen and Peter Long, "is in line with our expectations. We have continued to grow unique holidays and online bookings across all key source markets and expect to deliver growth in the underlying operating result in the remainder of the year."

Next, an interim from engineering support services operator Babcock. Babcock claims bidding and business development activities remain buoyant. Its Board remains confident that Group results for the financial year will come in at half year expectations.

It entered the fourth quarter with an order book of £20 billion and a bid pipeline of £13 billion. The Group's order book now has visibility of over 70% of anticipated revenue for the 2015/16 financial year, it claims.

"We await," it says, "the MoD's decision on the award of the Logistic Commodities and Services Transformation (LCST) programme which is expected before the end of the financial year."

We end with a trading update from housebuilder Bellway for the six months up to 31 January. It claims volume growth of 15.7% increase in housing completions to 3,754 (2014 - 3,245).

Bellway - it recently received several analyst Buy ratings - claims a still-strong forward sales position with growth of 24.5% in the value of its forward order book to £975 million (2014 - £783 million).

"Market conditions remain favourable with continued demand for new homes across the country. Accordingly, the Group has taken an average of 139 reservations per week (2014 - 137 per week), a slight increase."

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