What listed companies could report better results in H1?

Over the next month, Stock Exchange companies will publish their first-half results, with investors to find out whether theirs was a winning bet or not. What companies do analysts expect will report better results than last year?

In an economy that continues to be dominated by doubt, analysts are betting on defensive sectors, such as the petroleum, utilities, pharmaceuticals, and the food sector, as well as on companies that export a large share of their production, which have seen a slight rebound in demand at international level.

“I don’t think we can talk about a good overall financial performance in the first half of 2010, considering that economic recession has extended into this year. We can expect a similar performance to that recorded in the first half of 2009 or a rise, especially in terms of profitability, as a result of the restructuring conducted over the last few months and as a result of adjustment to the new business conditions,” says Andreea Gheorghe, head of the research department of Intercapital Invest brokerage.