Rio Tinto’s first-half profit falls nearly 65 percent on falling commodity prices

September 22nd, 2009 ConAgra Foods 1Q profit drops 63 percentOMAHA, Neb. — ConAgra Foods says its fiscal first-quarter profit dropped 63 percent as the prior year saw a large gain from the sale of its commodity trading business, but adjusted results beat analysts' estimates.

September 22nd, 2009 Carnival profit falls 20 pct, still beats StreetCHICAGO — Carnival Corp. said Tuesday that its third-quarter profit fell nearly 20 percent, but the results were still better than expected as fuel prices fell and more travelers booked cruises.

August 28th, 2009 Lukoil's Q2 net profit down 44 percentMOSCOW — Lukoil, Russia's largest private oil company, on Friday posted a 44 percent drop in net profit for the second quarter due to lower oil prices, but still beat analyst expectations. Net income fell to $2.3 billion from $4.1 billion a year earlier, the company said in a statement.

August 5th, 2009 Devon: Production to fall soon from record levelsOKLAHOMA CITY — Devon Energy Corp. reported record production levels for the second quarter on Wednesday but expects those numbers to fall later this year — in part because lower commodity prices have led it to cut back on drilling.

August 4th, 2009 Norway's StatoilHydro 2Q profit falls to zeroOSLO — Norwegian oil company StatoilHydro ASA on Tuesday saw its profits vanish in the second quarter and cited lower crude and gas prices. The state-controlled oil concern said its net profit for April through June period plummeted to zero kroner from 18.9 billion kroner ($3.1 billion) in the same time last year, when oil prices soared.

August 3rd, 2009 Linde 1H net profit down 34 percentFRANKFURT — German industrial gas company Linde AG said Monday that its net profit for the first six months of the year fell 34 percent, citing a difficult market environment and falling business volumes in the recession. The Munich-based company earned euro248 million ($354 million) in the January-June period, compared with euro375 million in the first half of 2008.

July 31st, 2009 Puma's H1 operating income falls 6 pct, PPR saysFRANKFURT — German sportswear company Puma AG's operating profit for the first six months fell about 6 percent, according to the company's parent, Paris-based retail and luxury group PPR SA. PPR, which holds about 64 percent of Puma's shares, said in its first half earnings report that Puma's operating profit in the January-June period fell to euro177 million ($248.74 million) from euro189 million in the first six months of 2008.

July 31st, 2009 Anglo American H1 profit down 31 percentLONDON — Mining company Anglo American PLC said Friday that net profit in the first half of the year fell by 31 percent as both the prices and volumes of its sales slumped amid the global recession. The company said net profit for the period was $2.97 billion, compared to $4.28 billion a year earlier.

July 30th, 2009 Volkswagen says 6-month profit falls 81 pctBERLIN — Volkswagen AG, Europe's biggest automaker by sales, says its six-month net profit slipped 81 percent to euro494 million ($696.7 million) on falling sales, adding that it expects revenue in 2009 to be lower than last year. The Wolfsburg-based company, which is in the process of merging with Porsche SE, did not immediately provide second-quarter figures.

July 29th, 2009 Wolters Kluwer profit falls 8 percent in H1AMSTERDAM — Wolters Kluwer NV, a major publisher of medical, legal and accounting journals, reported an 8 percent fall in net profit in the first half of 2009, due to higher operating costs and write-downs on the value of its publishing rights. Net profit was euro132 million ($187 million), down from euro144 million in the same period a year earlier.

July 28th, 2009 Earnings roundup: US Steel, SupervaluAmong the earnings stories for Tuesday, July 28, from AP Financial News: PITTSBURGH (AP) — United States Steel Corp., the largest U.S.-based steel maker, said Tuesday it lost $392 million during its second quarter as the global recession hurt orders for the metal. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Grocery chain Supervalu Inc.

June 10th, 2009 Stocks mostly rise on oil, Home Depot forecastNEW YORK — Stocks are again getting a lift from commodity prices. Most stocks rose Wednesday as the price of oil touched a new high for the year above $71 a barrel and prices for metals and other materials pushed higher.

May 8th, 2009 Arena Resources 1Q profit plunges, tops viewTULSA, Okla. — Arena Resources Inc., an oil and natural gas exploration company, said Friday its first-quarter profit sank 65 percent as commodity prices plummeted.

May 1st, 2009 Chevron 1Q profit falls 64 pct as oil prices fallHOUSTON — Chevron Corp. says its first-quarter profit fell 64 percent as it, along with competitors, was stung by lower oil and natural gas prices.

April 30th, 2009 Exxon Mobil 1Q profit falls 58 percentHOUSTON — Exxon Mobil Corp. said Thursday first-quarter earnings fell 58 percent from a year ago, its lowest profit in more than five years, as the world's biggest publicly traded oil company saw crude and gas prices fall precipitously.