With sparse data, focus returns to Europe (Reuters)
Reuters - Europe will again be at the center of investors' focus this week as the U.S. earnings season passes the halfway mark and there is little on the economic calendar to give the market direction.more
Aon Q4 profit rises, but margin pressures persist (Reuters)
Reuters - Aon Corp posted a higher quarterly profit that narrowly beat market estimates, but the world's largest insurance broker continued to face margin pressures in its Aon Hewitt segment for the second-straight quarter.more
Truck maker Volvo's Q4 profit rockets (AP)
AP - Swedish truck maker AB Volvo recorded a 46 percent rise in fourth-quarter profits after a surge in sales it described as the best it has seen in more than two decades.more
Japan's Panasonic projects record annual net loss (AP)
AP - Panasonic on Friday nearly doubled its projected net loss for the fiscal year to a record 780 billion yen ($10.2 billion) amid weak TV and mobile phone sales and ongoing restructuring costs after acquiring smaller Sanyo Electronics Co.
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Broadband gives BT a Q3 profit boost (AP)
AP - A strong performance by the broadband business helped British telecommunications company BT PLC report a 41 percent increase in net profit in the three months ending Dec. 31.more
BT posts solid earnings and raises guidance (Reuters)
Reuters - Lower regulatory charges, cost cuts and strong demand for a wide range of services enabled Britain's BT to post solid third-quarter core earnings on Friday and lift aspects of its forecasts.more
Panasonic headed for record $10 billion annual loss (Reuters)
Reuters - Japan's Panasonic Corp warned of a record annual $10.2 billion net loss, joining beleaguered rivals Sony and Sharp in a sea of red ink as they struggle to fix their broken TV businesses and show they have not lost their way.more
Wynn's 4th-qtr profit up 67 pct as revenue climbs (AP)
AP - Wynn Resorts Ltd. said Thursday that revenue growth in its Macau and Las Vegas casinos and a tax benefit helped drive profit up 67 percent in the last three months of 2011.more
Homebuilders see stable housing market ahead (AP)
AP - The CEOs of some of the nation's biggest homebuilding companies said Thursday that they feel the housing market has stabilized.more
Starwood 4Q profit falls, but tops Street's view (AP)
AP - Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit dropped 51 percent on impairment charges and other items, but its adjusted results beat analysts' expectations.
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Kellogg fourth-quarter net income jumps (AP)
AP - Kellogg Co. is showing signs of easing its way out of a two-year slump. The cereal maker reported Thursday that its net income rose 23 percent on revenue gains.more
Sunoco has pretax 4Q loss, CEO stepping down (AP)
AP - Sunoco Inc. said Thursday its CEO will step down on March 1 as the company exits the refining business to focus on its pipelines and retail gas stations.more
Dow Chemical posts 4Q loss on charge (AP)
AP - The Dow Chemical Co. is feeling the impact of the slowing European economy, and seeing some weakness in North America as well.
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MasterCard takes $495M charge to cover fee suit (AP)
AP - MasterCard Inc. on Thursday said it recorded a $495 million charge in its fourth quarter to cover potential losses related to a lawsuit brought by retailers over the fees they pay on credit card transactions.
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Summary Box: Tough times ahead for drugmakers (AP)
AP - NEW NORMAL: Big drugmakers can no longer churn out drugs for the masses and double-digit profit increases. Now, they're having to develop drugs for smaller patient groups and hold up the bottom line with relentless cost-cutting.more
Drugmakers singing same song: 2012 will be tough (AP)
AP - For drugmakers, the golden era of the 1990s and early part of the last decade, when they seemed to effortlessly churn out new multibillion-dollar pills for the masses along with double-digit quarterly profit increases, is not even in the rearview mirror any more.more
Merck & Co. swings to Q4 profit on lower charges (AP)
AP - Merck & Co. swung to a fourth-quarter profit because of lower restructuring and other charges and higher sales of most of its key drugs.more
Summary Box: AstraZeneca to cut 7,300 jobs (AP)
AP - JOB CUTS: Drugmaker AstraZeneca PLC said it will cut another 7,300 jobs as it warned Thursday of a tough year ahead, due to government spending cuts on health care and stiff competition.more
Summary Box: Electrolux's 4th-qtr profit drops (AP)
AP - CHALLENGING ENVIRONMENT: Swedish appliance maker Electrolux AB said its fourth-quarter profit shrank as increasing competition and weak demand limit its ability to raise prices, while raw material costs increase.more
Summary Box: Raw materials costs hurt Unilever (AP)
AP - HIGH COSTS: Unilever PLC, the consumer-goods maker behind brands including Lipton tea, Dove soap and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, struggled in 2011 to pass on higher raw material costs to cash-strapped consumers.more