Astaire posts wider H1 loss, not to pay interim dividend

* H1 underlying loss 2.3 mln stg vs 1.1 mln stg

* More confident about 2010

Sept 25 (Reuters) - Astaire Securities (ASTR.L), the stock broker formerly known as Blue Oar, posted a wider first-half underlying pretax loss hurt by restructuring costs and said it would not pay an interim dividend.

The company said it was looking at 2010 with more confidence as private client activity was increasing, and institutional research was gaining wider recognition.

"While there are signs of increased market activity, small cap corporate activity remains slow and so we remain cautious on that front for the remainder of this year," Chief Executive Edward Vandyk said in a statement.

The company said for the first time in 15 months, it was profitable in the month of June.

Astaire said its board was not recommending an interim dividend. It paid an interim dividend of 0.24 pence in the prior year.

The company, which recently acquired corporate finance and stock-broking group Dowgate Capital Plc and corporate finance adviser Ruegg & Co Ltd, said it is looking to acquire complementary businesses to strengthen its competitive position in the long term.

For the six months ended June 30, underlying pretax loss was 2.3 million pounds ($3.67 million) compared with 1.1 million pounds a year ago.

Fees and commission income fell 7 percent to 6.2 million pounds.

Shares of Astaire closed at 5 pence on Thursday on the London Stock Exchange. ($1=.6268 Pound) (Reporting by Shivani Singh in Bangalore; Editing by Vinu Pilakkott)