CUK.L Share News (CUK)

The bears are back in command today with the blue-chip index in the red, though the size of the decline has been exacerbated by a number of index constituents trading in ex-dividend form.Former Bank of Ireland governor Richard Burrows is to be the new chairman of Lucky Strike maker British American Tobacco when Jan du Plessis steps down from the position on 1 November. Burrows stood down as governor of Bank of Ireland last month following a turbulent period which saw the bank relying on state funding to weather the credit crunch.BATs is lower, trading in ex-dividend form today. Other stocks going ex-div today are Scottish & Southern Energy, Thomson Reuters and Pearson.ENRC is a bright spot despite reporting a 63% slide in pre-tax profits for the first half of 2009. The dividend has been cut in half but investors were encouraged by a strong set of second quarter production figures and optimistic noises made by the management about prospects for the rest of the year.'The EBITDA of $628mn was 6% better than we expected and significant forex gains (due to devaluation of the Kazakh tenge) resulted in a much bigger beat at the EPS level.,' said Morgan Stanley, while Deutsche Bank described the figures as 'a very strong result, well over expectations,' and reiterated its 'buy' recommendation.Silver miner Fresnillo is another miner defying the trend but otherwise weaker metals prices are undermining the appeal of Antofagasta, Vedanta and Kazakhmys.There are reports that Blackstone is in exclusive talks with British Land to take a 50% stake in Broadgate, the landmark £2.5bn office development in the heart of the City of London. The rumour disappointed investors hoping for a full bid for the company.Drugs maker Shire is looking poorly after JP Morgan downgraded the stock from 'overweight' to 'neutral'. However, analysts at RBS have given a leg-up to Lloyds Banking, upgrading the stock to 'buy' from 'hold'Venture Production saw half-year profits slip 7% to £105.2m despite a 14% hike in revenue to £274.7m as lower realised prices and higher costs weighed. More than 95% of Rexam's recent rights issue has been taken up, the packaging group has announced.Latin America-focused miner Hochschild Mining saw interim profits slide in the year as silver prices decreased by 22%. Pre-tax profit for the half-year came in at $37.6m against $69.5mAviation and distribution group John Menzies posted a decline in half year pre-tax profit and scrapped its interim dividend but says full year results are expected to be ahead of markets forecasts.Oil explorer JKX Oil & Gas has begun commercial gas production from the Hajdúnánás field in north east Hungary. Canadian independent oil and gas company Ithaca Energy moved into the black in the second quarter and recorded its first quarter of positive cash flow.Silicon wafers supplier PV Crystalox Solar is confident of a "robust" performance in the second half despite reporting a 57% slump in earnings for the first six months of 2009.Car dealer Lookers revealed a 34% decline in half year pre-tax profit but said it is well positioned to trade through a challenging car market. Lookers, which raised £80.7m in equity earlier this year, said pre-tax profit fell to £8.6m in the six months ended 30 June 2009 from £13m the year before.Camera seller Jessops has provided further evidence of tough times in the retail sector, reporting a 4.7% fall in like-for-like sales in the 12 weeks to August 16.Aerospace and engineering group Hampson said tough trading conditions have persisted as plane makers continue delaying orders, but expects to see increasing revenues at its core aerospace tooling division.Shares in Lidco advanced on news that the heart monitoring equipment supplier is on track to deliver a maiden profit in the coming full year.Health and social care provider Care UK is feeling the pinch of local authorities and primary care trusts adapting to the tough economic climate by tightening criteria for the placement and funding of services.Strong performances from its asset management and equity capital markets divisions helped alternative asset-focused investment bank Shore Capital post a rise in profits and revenues.