3i Group Share News (III)

Footsie remains marginally in positive territory after trading sideways over the lunchtime session, with the downgrade of Japan's credit weighting by ratings agency Standard & Poors continuing to weigh on sentiment.Mining stocks are going well, however, after the US Federal Reserve indicated yesterday it would plough on with its stimulus measures. Silver and gold miners Fresnillo and Randgold Resources are the pick of the sector. Production updates from the miners Vedanta and Kazakhmys have also been given the thumbs up.Kazakhmys said 2010 output levels met or exceeded targets in all areas. Annual production of copper cathode from the group's own material was 303,000 tons, in line with the target set at the start of 2010.Vedanta posted a record quarterly profit in the three months to 31 December as it continued to ride the global commodities boom. Earnings before interest, depreciation, tax and amortisation (EBITDA) were up by 35% from the same period last year to $895m. Sales of aluminium, zinc, copper and iron ore were all sharply higher in value terms.Platinum miner Lonmin reported a fall in sales for the first quarter of its financial year due to weather disruption and the rebuilding of a furnace, but maintained its guidance for the full year. The company, which mines for the precious metal in South Africa, said its platinum sales of 66,426 ounces in the last three months of 2010 were down by 39.1% from the same period the previous year "mainly because of the Number One furnace rebuild and also as a result of bad weather affecting customer deliveries over the Christmas period in the northern hemisphere."Also in South African platinum mining, Aquarius Platinum grew production by 14% during the second quarter, driven by an increase at flagship asset Kroondal. Output for the three months to 31 December was up at 127,579 ounces from 112,359 ounces the year before as Kroondal delivered a 10% increase to 59,722 ounces.Shares in Russia-focused gold miner Petropavlovsk shot forward as it forecast production would rise 18% in 2011 even on a very conservative estimate.BSkyB has demonstrated why newspaper group NewsCorp is so keen to take over the satellite broadcaster, with a strong rise in profits in the six months to 31 December. Pre-tax profits climbed to £237m from £185m over the same period the previous year on revenues that rose to £1.66bn from £1.44bn. The shares are among the best-performing in the FTSE 100.An unexpected fall in profits at the Swedish fashion retailer Hennes & Maurritz, known on the High Street as H&M, has sent jitters across the retail sector, sending shares in Next, Marks & Spencer and Primark owner Associated British Foods lower. H&M cited rising raw material prices as a reason for the squeeze.TUI Travel has been hit by December's snow and riots in Tunisia, but bookings have recovered since the weather improved. Volumes are up 14% at the Thomson Holidays owner so far this month and cumulative winter bookings are up 3% on a year ago despite having to cancel all flights to Tunisia since 15 January.International private equity company 3i Group saw an 'encouraging increase in activity' in its markets in the final quarter of 2010. The group invested £183m in the three month period at the end of the year, bringing the total investment for the first nine months of the group's financial year up to £510m; that is more than double the £249m invested in the corresponding period of 2009.Investors have raised a glass to pub group Mitchells & Butlers after drinkers refused to let the snow get in the way of Christmas festivities. Heritage Oil has recovered some of yesterday's losses which came after it reported a big gas find in Iraq, when many had been hoping for oil.Anglo-Swedish drugs firm AstraZeneca beat market expectations despite strong competition from generic versions of its drugs in the USA last year. Revenue for the full year was unchanged on a constant exchange rates (CER) basis at $33,629m. Core earnings per share (EPS) for 2010 rose by 5% on a CER basis to $6.71, versus expectations of $6.60. Reported EPS rose 7% (CER) to $5.60. Oil firm Tullow said group working interest production for 2010 averaged 58,100 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), in line with the 2009 average, and is expected to average 86,000 to 92,000 boepd in 2011. The company is still trying to get approval from the Ugandan government for the sale of oil blocks within the Lake Albert rift basin to French firm Total and China's CNOOC.BP's billionaire partners at Russian joint venture TNK-BP have filed an injunction to try and stop the British company's £10bn arctic exploration tie-up with Kremlin-backed Rosneft.Delays to a number of major City building projects, public sector spending cuts and higher prices mean structural steel supplier Severfield-Rowen's second half prospects this year are "very poor".Speciality pharmaceuticals developer BTG has outlined the effect of the acquisition of Biocompatibles. The company expects recurring revenues will grow by £5m following the acquisition. This will take them to £98m-£102m in the year to March 2011. Additional one-off revenues take the full year revenue range to £108m-£114m.Dairy Group Robert Wiseman said it managed to meet customer demand last month in spite of the extreme weather. It continues to anticipate full-year profits in line with previous guidance.Soft drinks firm Britvic said total first quarter revenue increased 20% from the same period a year earlier and it remains confident about the outcome for the full year.