United Utilities sees trading in line with management forecasts
While the rest of the UK economy continues to suffer it appears as though the utility sector has remained fairly strong with United Utilities repeating its view that profits will be in line with earlier management forecasts. The sector as a whole has come in for severe criticism over the last few months as utility prices mushroomed in 2008 and only now are we starting to see a reduction in consumer bills.
When the UK utility reporting season starts will get a more detailed overview of the sector as a whole and no doubt there will be more criticism of the UK's utility providers. While there have been small reductions in the price of electricity and gas across the board, these have to be compared against a significant increases seen last year which pushed many UK consumers to the edge.
The government has time and time again threatened to instigate a review of the sector by the competition authorities but so far we are yet to see this materialised. There is a feeling that the sector at this moment in time is more powerful than the UK authorities and there are concerns as to what the government can really do to help consumers in the short to medium term. If they push the companies too hard, they will reduce their investment in new technology but if they leave them to charge prices which in the eyes of many are "over the top", the government risks a serious backlash in the polls.
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