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| Shell sets new UK profits record | Shell sets new UK profits record |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The Anglo-Dutch oil firm Royal Dutch Shell has reported record annual profits for a UK company. | The Anglo-Dutch oil firm Royal Dutch Shell has reported record annual profits for a UK company. |
| Its profit measured by current cost of supply was $27.56bn (£13.9bn) for 2007, beating its own 2006 record of £12.9bn. | |
| Much of the rise in profits has been attributed to rising oil prices, which currently stand at about $91 a barrel compared with $57 this time last year. | |
| But there is concern among analysts that Shell has delayed publishing figures showing its oil reserves. | But there is concern among analysts that Shell has delayed publishing figures showing its oil reserves. |
| The oil reserves figure, which shows whether Shell found enough oil in the ground to replace the amount it was taking out, will not be published until the spring. | The oil reserves figure, which shows whether Shell found enough oil in the ground to replace the amount it was taking out, will not be published until the spring. |
| "The market really has taken this to imply that the figures aren't going to be great," said Nick MacGregor, an oil analyst from Redmayne Bentley. | "The market really has taken this to imply that the figures aren't going to be great," said Nick MacGregor, an oil analyst from Redmayne Bentley. |
| "If they were that good Shell would be telling the world about it now." | "If they were that good Shell would be telling the world about it now." |
| 'Satisfactory results' | |
| Shell reports its profits figures in dollars because oil is priced in the US currency. | |
| In dollar terms its earnings are up 9% on the previous year. | |
| It has set its dividend at $0.36 per share for the last three months of 2007, which is up 11% on the same period of 2006. | |
| "Overall these are satisfactory results," said Shell's chief executive Jeroen van der Veer. | |
| "We made good progress in 2007, launched new projects upstream and downstream, and achieved exploration successes." |