According to The Times yesterday, shares in IT training and consultancy business QA have fallen to a seven-year low.

The company has seen its value fall to £62.2 million, at 71.5p a share - a fair drop from the heights of August 1999, when shares were reaching 370p, according to the paper.

QA has given warning of a potential slowdown in trading for the second half of the year, despite reporting a pre-tax profit of £400,000 for the first six months, but sees an uncertain future despite turnover growing to £28 million so far this year.