CSX shares rise on hopes that recession is over, but the road to better profits still rocky

October 8th, 2009 Mistras Group shares rise on first day of tradingNEW YORK — Mistras Group Inc. stock rose Thursday, its first day of trading, after the engineering services company priced its initial public offering of shares at a price below its initial target.

October 2nd, 2009 Ex-newspaper staffers' Denver news site to endDENVER — A Denver-focused daily Web magazine led by former staffers of the defunct Rocky Mountain News says its last day will be Monday. One of the editors, Steve Foster, said Friday that the Rocky Mountain Independent's site won't be taken down, but its staffers won't be posting new content.

September 18th, 2009 Analyst Note: Covanta Holding downgradedNEW YORK — An analyst on Friday downgraded shares of Covanta Holding Corp., saying the company, which converts waste to energy, will not do as well in an economic recovery as it has during the recession. Gregg Orrill of Barclays cut his rating on the stock of the Fairfield, N.J., company to "Equal Weight" from "Overweight." Covanta's "heavily contracted business model that was appealing during a recession has substantially less leverage to an economic recovery and we also see a less appealing risk/reward from here following the stock's recovery from the bottom," he wrote in a client note.

August 12th, 2009 Hartford will refund $48M in workers' comp profitHARTFORD, Conn. — Insurer Hartford Financial Services Group Inc.

August 12th, 2009 Petroleum Development prices shares at $12DENVER — Oil and gas company Petroleum Development Corp. said Wednesday that it has priced its offering of nearly 3.8 million shares of common stock at $12 per share.

August 6th, 2009 British insurer Aviva reassures on profitsLONDON — British insurer Aviva PLC saw its share price spike around 6 percent Thursday despite slashing its dividend as the company posted better than expected results and announced plans to float off its Dutch unit to raise more money to shore up its balance sheet. Aviva said it made a net profit of 747 million pounds ($1.27 billion) in the first half of the year, in contrast to an 84 million pound loss in the same period of 2008 as margins in the life and pensions business improved.

July 30th, 2009 Repsol-YPF reports 2Q profits down 59 percentMADRID — Spanish oil company Repsol-YPF said Thursday its net profits for the second quarter dropped by 59 percent because of lower oil prices and the global economic slowdown. Repsol-YPF reported earnings of euro373 million ($526.08 million), compared with euro905 million for the same period last year.

July 27th, 2009 World markets rise at start of new weekLONDON — World stock markets rose again Monday amid ongoing hopes that corporate earnings will outperform expectations and give another signal that the global recession is loosening its grip. In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 7.75 points, or 0.2 percent, at 4,584.36 with publishing group Pearson PLC up around 10 percent after it raised its earnings guidance for the year despite testing market conditions.

July 24th, 2009 Sweden's TeliaSonera Q2 profit up 8 percentSTOCKHOLM — Nordic telecommunications operator TeliaSonera AB reported Friday an 8 percent rise in second-quarter net profits, boosted by higher sales and the benefits of previous cost-saving measures. The Stockholm-based company also raised its outlook for margins in operating profit — or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization — saying they will be higher this year than in 2008.

July 3rd, 2009 Ex-newspaper staffers launching Denver news siteDENVER — A Denver-focused daily Web magazine led by former staffers of the defunct Rocky Mountain News and others plans to officially launch Monday. A dozen equity owners, about a dozen freelancers and partner blogs are providing content for the Rocky Mountain Independent.

July 2nd, 2009 World stocks fall sharply on US jobs gloomLONDON — World stock markets fell sharply Thursday after worse than expected U.S. jobs data reined in investor hopes of a swift end to recession.

June 11th, 2009 4 fall several hundred feet in Rocky Mountain ParkROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, Colo. — Two climbers have been rescued after falling 300 to 400 feet down a slope in Rocky Mountain National Park.

May 5th, 2009 Disney profits plunge; recession hurts theme parksLOS ANGELES — The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday its second-quarter net income fell 46 percent, with sharply lower profits at its movie studio and theme parks.

April 22nd, 2009 NEW YORK - Soft-drink giant Coca-Cola Co reported a drop of 10 percent in first-quarter profits Tuesday, citing costs to restructure its German distribution. Profits were $1.35 billion, or 58 cents per share, compared to $1.5 billion, or 64 cents per share, in the same period of 2008.

January 26th, 2009 NEW YORK - Credit card company American Express said Monday its profits plunged 72 percent as customers fell behind on loan payments and were also spending less amid the widening recession. Profits fell to $238 million from $858 million a year earlier.