Wood Group forecasts higher core earnings, shares jump

(Reuters) - Oilfield services provider John Wood Group forecast higher 2019 core earnings on Thursday, with strong performance in its engineering services unit in the Middle East, Asia and the Caspian region offseting slowing U.S. onshore drilling demand.The company, which provides engineering and technical services to industrial, energy, and utility markets, said it trimmed debt below $1.5 billion (1.15 billion pounds) by the end of the year, down from $1.77 billion at June-end, sending shares..