Intertek Group Share News (ITRK)

Product testing, inspection and certification group Intertek saw its share price surge 7% after half-year profits beat estimates despite sales falling short of forecasts. The company said that earnings per share slipped to 61.2p in the first six months of the year, down 1.1% on the year but above the 59.6p consensus estimate. The company also said organic revenue growth should pick up in the second half. Shares in banking giant HSBC also gained strongly despite reporting a larger-than-expected 12% drop in first-half pre-tax profits to $12.34bn, with underlying profits down 4%. "Whilst regulatory uncertainty persists, our balance sheet remains strong and our continuing ability to generate capital supports both growth and our progressive dividend policy," the company's chief executive Stuart Gulliver said.Sector peers Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Chartered and Barclays were also in demand.Mining stocks also advanced on the back of an improvement in risk appetite with Glencore, Anglo American and Antofagasta making gains.Leading the downside was oilfield services firm Petrofac as selling pressure continued after its recent losses. The stock has now lost a quarter of its value since surprising the market with a profit warning in May. Airlines IAG and Easyjet were also trading in the red.FTSE 100 - RisersIntertek Group (ITRK) 2,711.00p +7.03%GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 1,439.50p +1.62%HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 639.00p +1.54%BG Group (BG.) 1,227.00p +1.53%Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBS) 354.90p +1.40%Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) 74.32p +1.35%Glencore (GLEN) 360.85p +1.32%Barclays (BARC) 226.85p +1.16%National Grid (NG.) 849.50p +1.13%Mondi (MNDI) 1,042.00p +1.07%FTSE 100 - FallersPetrofac Ltd. (PFC) 1,092.00p -1.71%International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (CDI) (IAG) 333.10p -1.51%Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 1,005.00p -1.18%Ashtead Group (AHT) 890.00p -1.11%Capita (CPI) 1,168.00p -1.02%Babcock International Group (BAB) 1,069.00p -1.02%Carnival (CCL) 2,125.00p -0.98%IMI (IMI) 1,431.00p -0.97%easyJet (EZJ) 1,286.00p -0.92%Barratt Developments (BDEV) 348.30p -0.91%BC