• Forbes, Tuesday, July 29, 2008 10 AM

Pearson left rival media companies in the dust on Monday, after investors responded positively to a set of expectation-beating results that suggested it was prospering amid the economic downturn.

In the company's Financial Times media division, which includes a 50% stake in The Economist, advertising sales rose 2%, with readership holding fast. The division's Interactive Data unit lifted its forecasts for annual sales and operating profit.

"Most of the assets Pearson owns are about unique information, unique intelligence or unique commentary, which tend to be particularly valuable at times of turmoil," says Claudio Aspesi, Sanford Bernstein analyst. Pearson's overall half-year results beat expectations, almost halving its net loss to $123.2 million, from $206.7 million.

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