The state of the economy was once again in the limelight after different companies put out mixed signals.
Michael Page, the recruitment company, was one of the top risers on the FTSE 250 as it posted a record quarterly profit of £128.2m for the fourth quarter, an increase of 37.6% compared to the same period in 2006. Shares rose 15.5p to 263.5p.
Steve Ingham, chief executive, allayed fears of a global economic slowdown as he said that the company continued to experience strong demand for talent around the world. "While mindful of the uncertainties surrounding the current global economic outlook, with numerous opportunities to grow our existing and new businesses, we are confident in the prospects for Michael Page."
On the retail front, however, things were not so rosy. A British Retail Consortium survey found that UK retail sales rose only 0.3% on a like-for-like basis last month, compared with December 2006, when sales were up 2.5%.
According to the figures, December's growth was the weakest since the decline in March 2006 when sales were hit by Easter falling in April in 2006. It was the worst December figure since 2004.
The news did not affect all retailers, Jessops, for one, was up 0.44p, or 6.2%, to 7.54p as it said like-for-like sales for the seven-week Christmas period were 0.3% ahead of the same period last year.
But DSG International, for example, was down 3p to 67.75p as it still reeled from the shock of its profit warning last week.
