One commentator was complaining that Centrica was behaving in too erratic a manner for a utility; these businesses are meant to have dull profit streams and predictable dividend income.
The latest profit warning is certainly not what one would expect from one of the regulated water companies, say. Yet Centrica is not a utility, but an integrated energy company that seeks gas in the North Sea, provides it and electricity to its customers, and installs and services their boilers.
This means that it is vulnerable to the price of oil and gas, the amount of power users need and its ability to supply services efficiently. The main concern over the latest warning is not that the continuing warm weather has hit profits this year. That