British publisher Pearson PLC announced on Friday that its majority-owned subsidiary Interactive Data Corporation was reviewing strategic alternatives, suggesting a possible sale of the unit. However, the publisher gave no assurance about the outcome of the review.

Pearson possesses 61 per cent stake in the publicly-traded IDC, which has a market value of around 1.5 billion pounds.

Analyst Giasone Salati said the proceeds from the possible sale of the IDC stake could be utilized by the company to expand its existence in international education, particularly in the emerging markets.

Media reports suggest that other media groups with financial data operations such as Bloomberg might show interest in the unit.

Pearson is the owner of the Financial Times and the world's biggest educational publishing business and Penguin books.

The announcement pushed shares in Pearson up by 7½p to 895p-a-share.