 IN BRIEF (Page 17)
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-07-25 07:47 Kimberly-Clark falls Kimberly-Clark Corp, the maker of Huggies diapers and Scott paper towels, said that second-quarter profit declined because of higher costs for pulp and oil used to make diapers and Kleenex tissues. Net income fell to $416.7 million, or 99 cents a share, from $461.8 million, or $1, a year earlier, the Dallas-based company said yesterday in a statement distributed by PR Newswire. Sales rose to $5.01 billion. Bank's earnings Credit Suisse Group AG, Switzerland's second-biggest bank, said earnings dropped 62 percent, less than analysts estimated, as the securities unit returned to profit and wealth management attracted the most new assets in two years. Credit Suisse shares increased by as much as 8.6 percent in Zurich trading yesterday after reporting second-quarter net income of 1.22 billion Swiss francs ($1.18 billion), or 1.12 francs a share, compared with 3.19 billion francs, or 2.82 francs, a year earlier. Suez revenue boost Suez Environnement, Europe's second-biggest water company, said revenue rose 4.4 percent in the first-half because of increased prices for water and recyclable raw materials. Sales rose to 6.03 billion euros compared with 5.78 billion euros last year, the Paris-based company said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. Strikes hit stock Aquarius Platinum Ltd, a producer of the precious metal in South Africa and Zimbabwe, declined to a six-month low in London trading after saying output dropped because of strikes. Production fell to 109,863 ounces of platinum and related metals in the three months ended June 30, from 112,527 ounces in the quarter to March 31, the Hamilton, Bermuda-based company said yesterday in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange. The shares slid as much as 7.6 percent on the London Stock Exchange. SK Telecom down SK Telecom Co, South Korea's largest mobile-phone operator, posted profit that fell more than analysts estimated after the company boosted promotional spending to keep customers from defecting to KT Freetel Co and LG Telecom Ltd. Second-quarter net income dropped 26 percent to 298 billion won ($295 million), from 403.3 billion won a year earlier, the Seoul-based carrier said in a statement yesterday. Agencies (China Daily 07/25/2008 page17) |
