The European Union allowed for restricted government assistance for European
airlines that have seen sales and profit dwindle after the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. The Commission said countries could
meet the expense of higher insurance premiums until the end of the year, pay
for added security and aid airlines for losses directly incurred from the four-day
closing of U.S. airspace after the attacks. A Commission official said more
emergency measures could be enacted if the situation deteriorated.More...
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German pharmaceutical Bayer said it is boosting the production of its Cipro
anthrax treatment, spiking shares amid mounting worries of a biological attack
on the United States. "We see signs that demand is increasing," a Bayer spokeswoman
said. The fear of terrorists unleashing an anthrax attack on the U.S. was heightened
after a tabloid journalist in Florida died from the disease.More...
Wireless technology giant Motorola warned that it would see its fourth straight
quarterly loss, which will result in its first full-year operating loss in at
least 45 years. The company also said it planned to cut 7,000 more jobs this
year, raising the number of planned cuts for the year to 39,000 positions, or
26 percent of the work force. On Sept. 9, the company posted a third-quarter
net loss of $1.4 billion.
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car rental Its operating loss, including one-time charges, totaled $153
million, or 7 cents a share, compared with a profit of $643 million, or 28 cents
a share, a year ago.More...
Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald's , the world's largest restaurant company,
saw its shares rise after announcing that it would reduce the number of U.S.
divisions from five to three in a bid to streamline and lower costs. The company,
which has posted profit declines for the past three quarters, said the new structure
in the U.S. will include east, central and west divisions. The change is part
of "upcoming major organizational changes," which will be announced Sept. 17
and will likely include layoffs.More...
The International Monetary Fund said it expects Japan's economy to fall into
recession, Europe to expand by less than 2%, and the American economy to recover
in the first half of next year.
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car rental IMF's managing director, Horst Koehler, said the IMF would change
its growth projections for the world economy in the coming weeks after the Sept.
11 attacks. Koehler said the IMF expects a recovery "at the latest in the second
quarter of next year."More...
Starbucks Coffee Japan got off to a fast start in its first day on the Nasdaq
Japan bourse. The Japanese unit of U.S. coffee giant Starbucks , the first unit
of the Seattle-based coffee king to go public, opened at 80,000 yen, 16,000
yen or 25% above its initial public offering price of 64,000. Some analysts,
though quick to laud the company's strong brand and prospects for growth, cringed
at what they termed unjustifiably high valuations. McDonald's, which jumped
as high as 5,080 yen a few days after staging a sizzling debut in late July,
is now about 20% below its IPO price.More...
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Food and beverage conglomerate PepsiCo reported third-quarter earnings that
increased 14% to $866 million, coming in on the high end of analyst expectations.
The company, which makes Pepsi and Mountain Dew soft drinks, said sales increased
8% to $6.91 billion. The firm said it expects a profit increase of 13% to 14%
next year and beyond.More...
Forest products company Willamette Industries reported a 21% drop in third-quarter
profits on sluggish U.S. demand and said the traditionally slow fourth quarter
would be tougher than ever. The Portland, Ore.-based company, which has been
battling a hostile takeover bid by rival Weyerhaeuser for nearly a year, reported
third-quarter net income of $65.8 million, or 60 cents per diluted share, after
unusual charges, compared with $83.4 million, or 76 cents per diluted share,
a year-ago.More...