SERVICES

Shares in WPP were down on the FTSE 100 in morning trading despite the company reporting a rise in pre-tax profit of 36 per cent in the first half of the year.

Shares in WPP were up on the FTSE 100 in afternoon trading ahead of the advertising firm's half year results, due out tomorrow.

Shares in Bovis Homes were up on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the housebuilder reported a return to profit in the half year ended 30 June.

Unite the union has said that it will be recommending an improved pay offer from airport operator BAA, following talks yesterday which saw the threat of strike action withdrawn.

Shares in Michael Page International were down on the FTSE 250 in morning trading after the recruitment firm reported a surge in pre-tax profit for the half year ended 30 June.

Shares in Michael Page International were down on the FTSE 250 in afternoon trading ahead of the recruitment firm's half year results, due out on Monday morning.

The conciliation service Acas has said that talks between BAA and Unite union will be held as soon as possible in a bid to avert a strike action at BAA airports, such as those at Heathrow, Stanstead and Edinburgh.

Airport owner BAA has said that the number of people travelling through its United Kingdom airports increased by 0.3 per cent to 10.9 million last month.

Shares in ITV fell on the FTSE 250 in morning trading despite the broadcaster reporting a rise in net advertising revenue of 18 per cent.

Willie Walsh and Willie Wonka. What do the two have in common? Whilst one is the owner and star of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the other is rather less endowed.

Shares in Hammerson were up in morning trading on the FTSE 100 after the property development company returned to profit in the half year ended 30 June.

Johnson Service Group have announced £10.5 million worth of revenue from ex-Jarvis contracts in its first quarter trading statement.

Four key facts regarding a trading update from Serco Group today.

Stagecoach Group, the rail and bus operator is looking towards a profitable year ahead after winning a dispute with the DfT earlier this year.

Pennon, the water and sewage services group, has announced underlying profits up 14 pct for the full year ended March 31.

De la rue, the banknote printer for the Bank of England, has announced that profits remain unchanged despite increase in sales this year.

Shares in technology group Invensys were down over two per cent on the FTSE 100 despite a reported rise in profit of two per cent in the full year ended 31 March.

Yell, the directories group, have fallen on the FTSE 250 despite a a swing of more than 1.19 billion as CEO and CFO both announced their intention to quit.

IT firm Computacenter's revenues have risen after strong rebound in UK sales.

The bus and rail group has put out a statement that it is trading in line with expectations on the backdrop of a challenging trading environment.

Sage Group, the business software provider responsible for over 6 million business customers worldwide, has reported a 'continued growth' in subscription revenue.