Thursday April 23, 12:21 PM
British bank Barclays optimistic about 2009
LONDON (AFP) - British bank Barclays (LSE: BARC.L - news) said Thursday that it would post better results in the first quarter this year than the same period of 2008 despite the global financial crisis and a deep recession in Britain.
"We've had a good start to the year," said Barclays chief executive John Varley in a trading statement published ahead of the group's annual general meeting in London.
"In the first quarter of 2009, our financial performance is well ahead of the prior year period meaning that we've made good profits," he added.
The bank, which publishes first-quarter results on May 7, added that it was committed to try and resume shareholder dividend payments in the second half of the year.
Unlike several rival banks, Barclays has spurned government funds and instead secured extra capital last year from investors in Abu Dhabi and Qatar to protect its finances from the credit crunch.
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