LONDON (AP) — British insurer Prudential PLC said yesterday that first-quarter sales fell five percent, weighed by weak markets in Asia and Europe.

The company reported sales of £697 million ($1.05 billion), down five percent from the same quarter a year earlier. The appreciation of the US dollar helped boost sales in the United States by 12 percent, but sales were down in other regions.

Barry Cornes, analyst at Panmure Gordon & Co., said the results "were ahead of the top end of the range and eight percent ahead of consensus.