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Pearson, the publisher of the Financial Times (FT), says the paper has attracted more readers due to recent turmoil in the world's financial markets.

In a trading update today the company revealed that sales at its FT Publishing division grew by eight per cent during the first nine months of the year, with the newspaper's website FT.com also seeing an increase in its audience.

Advertising revenues for the FT also remained "resilient" throughout the recent market turmoil, climbing by nine per cent over the period – an increase on the seven per cent growth reported for the first six months of the year.

Pearson added that it expected FT Publishing to achieve "double digit margins" across the full-year.

The publisher of Penguin books also reported a two per cent increase in sales across the division over the first nine months of 2007, with books by established authors including Alan Greenspan, Khaled Hosseini, Elizabeth Gilbert and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver all performing well.

Pearson says it anticipates a further improvement to Penguin margins as its investment and efficiency programmes begin to bear fruit.

The company, which also publishes educational material, stressed that it performed strongly during the third quarter - with underlying sales up by six per cent over the initial nine months of the year.

Operating profits were also 20 per cent higher than for the corresponding period of 2006.

Commenting on the results Pearson chief executive Marjorie Scardino said the company was confident that it would report another year of "record" profits in 2007.

"We still have a lot of trading ahead of us, but every part of the company is doing well," he said.

"We're benefiting from rapid take-up of our learning technologies, sustained increases in our audience and advertising at the FT and bestselling publishing combined with operating efficiency at Penguin," Mr Scardino added.