How unfortunate that yesterday's stock market debut of Thomson Reuters, the world's biggest provider of financial information, should be marred by confusion over its share price.

The shares appeared to have fallen by much more than they did because of a mistake over the translation of a Canadian dollar closing price into a sterling opening. The company and the London Stock Exchange both insisted it was somebody else's fault.

But for those concerned at the complexity of the merger of Thomson and Reuters into its new dual-listed hybrid form, it was hardly an auspicious start.

The timing of the debut was doubly awkward coming on the day that Citigroup, Merrill Lynch and UBS gave warning of hundreds of job losses in their capital markets businesses.

Fewer capital markets desks of course means fewer Reuters terminals, and with the market data arm accounting for 60 per cent of group revenues, analysts are understandably cautious about the short-term outlook.

In the longer term, the company remains well-positioned in growing markets - both on the financial side and in profession information - with a proven management team under former Reuters' chief executive Tom Glocer.

One big question is how the different corporate cultures will meld. Reuters executives say the Thomson culture is much more driven by short-term financial performance and some fear that there could be a big loss of talent from the old Reuters businesses.

The first test may be how much blood is spilt if the going gets really tough in financial information.

david.wighton@thetimes.co.uk

Times Recommends

• B&B hit by £18m fraud charge
• Mortgage rescue fund at the ready
• Zoom airline collapses and halts all flights