AP Business Highlights
Companies:
US consumers cut borrowing by $12B in August
WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. consumers reduced their borrowing for
the seventh straight month in August, as households worked to pay off debt and
banks reduced credit card limits.
Americans are saving more and borrowing less as widespread job
losses, stagnant wages and dwindling home values have spurred a move to greater
frugality. While that's a positive trend in the long run, economists say, it
can weaken the fledgling recovery as consumer spending powers about 70 percent
of the economy.
The Federal Reserve said Wednesday that total consumer debt
outstanding fell in August by $12 billion, a 5.8 percent annual rate. Wall
Street economists expected a $10 billion decline.
IPO market flexes muscle raising $10B in 1 day
NEW YORK (AP) -- There is growing evidence that the market for
initial public offerings is rebounding after essentially disappearing at the
height of the credit crisis as two new issues raised a combined $10 billion
Wednesday.
However, analysts say the market's re-emergence isn't open to
every company, and that only the strong can successfully launch stock sales
right now.
Both of Wednesday's IPOs are well known and established
companies in their industries. Verisk Analytics Inc. is the largest provider of
data to the property and casualty insurance sector. Spain's Banco Santander
offered shares in its Brazilian unit, which is Brazil's third-largest private
sector bank behind Itau-Unibanco and Bradesco.
The initial stock offering of Banco Santander Brasil SA fetched
$8.1 billion, while Verisk garnered $1.9 billion from investors.
Stocks end mixed after rally as earnings loom
NEW YORK (AP) -- After two big days, it was time for the stock
market to take a break.
Investors waiting for corporate earnings reports to start
rolling in made only modest moves Wednesday after stocks posted their best
two-day gain since mid-July. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 6 points
to 9,725.58, while broader indexes edged higher.
With little economic news to direct trading, investors were
waiting for earnings reports from the July-September quarter for signals about
the economy.
Aluminum maker Alcoa Inc. was the first of the 30 companies that
make up the Dow Jones industrials to release its numbers, but the report didn't
arrive until after the closing bell. Still, investors were happy with the news
that the company was profitable again after three losing quarters, and that
revenue and earnings topped expectations. Alcoa stock rose in extended-hours
trading.
Alcoa returns to profit as cost cuts, sales help
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Painful cost-cutting and rising sales to
automakers and other big manufacturers helped the nation's largest aluminum
producer return to profitability for the first time in nine months.
Alcoa Inc. also forecast an 11 percent increase in worldwide
aluminum demand for the rest of the year. The lightweight metal is used in
everything from airplanes to cars to houses.
Even though Alcoa's third-quarter profit fell 71 percent from a
year earlier, the results were a relief after three straight quarterly losses.
The Pittsburgh-based company said rising demand, particularly
from automakers, lifted its revenue compared with the prior three months.
Investors cheered the news, sending Alcoa's shares up 5.2 pct in after-hours
trade.
Firm gives Citi execs good marks, report says
NEW YORK (AP) -- An independent consulting firm has given
Citigroup Inc.'s management team a good review, but the embattled bank could
see more changes among its top ranks, The Wall Street Journal reported
Wednesday.
Requested by the U.S. government following its stress tests on
banks earlier this year, the outside review by Egon Zehnder International found
that Citigroup's CEO Vikram Pandit and his executive team are in overall good
shape, the Journal said on its Web site.
However, Vice Chairman Lewis Kaden and Chief Administrative
Officer Don Callahan received less favorable marks, the report said, citing
unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
A Citigroup spokesman declined to comment on the report. A call
to Egon Zehnder was not immediately returned.
GM's US sales chief leaves after decline in sales
DETROIT (AP) -- Less than a week after reporting a sharp drop in
September sales, GM said its U.S. sales chief is leaving as the automaker
struggles to prop up its falling share of the market.
General Motors Co. CEO Fritz Henderson announced the departure
of Mark LaNeve on Wednesday during a conference call with media and investors.
LaNeve, 50, is taking a job at a firm outside the auto industry effective Oct.
15, GM spokesman John McDonald said.
Although LaNeve's replacement has yet to be determined, his exit
gives the company an opportunity to bring in fresh talent and a different view
on sales, Henderson said. But that doesn't mean a successor automatically will
be brought in from outside.
Visteon judge rejects bonuses for top officers
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) -- A Delaware bankruptcy judge on
Wednesday rejected a request by auto parts supplier Visteon Corp. to approve
bonuses of up to $8.1 million for its 12 top officers.
But following a hearing, Judge Christopher Sontchi did approve
up to $3.3 million in long-term incentives for 83 other Visteon managers, a
group that does not include any of the 12 insiders who developed the two bonus
proposals.
The ruling came after Michigan-based Visteon last month
responded to objections to its proposal to pay up to $80 million through three
bonus plans to more than 2,500 employees by replacing it with a scaled-down,
$11.4 million plan targeted at only 95 officers and managers.
Conoco raises dividend, to sell $10B of assets
NEW YORK (AP) -- ConocoPhillips on Wednesday said it will
increase its quarterly dividend 6 percent, sell $10 billion of assets and lower
capital spending in 2010 in an effort to strengthen its financial position.
The third-largest U.S. oil company announced a quarterly
dividend of 50 cents per share, up from last quarter's dividend of 47 cents per
share. The dividend is payable Dec. 1 to stockholders of record at the close of
business Oct. 30.
The Houston-based company also said it plans to spend less on
capital projects in 2010 compared with 2009 levels. Next year's capital budget
is set around $11 billion, down from $12.5 billion in 2009. At this level of
funding, ConocoPhillips said it will support exploration, production and
reserve replacement, while preserving its project portfolio for future
development.
Costco 4Q profit falls 6 percent but beats views
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Costco Wholesale Corp. said Wednesday
that a stronger dollar and higher employee health care costs helped drive its
fiscal fourth-quarter profit down 6 percent, but the results beat analysts'
expectations.
The members-only warehouse club chain earned $374 million, or 85
cents per share, for the quarter, down from $398 million, or 90 cents per
share, in the same quarter last year.
Revenue fell 3 percent to $22.38 billion for the period that
ended Aug. 30.
Still, the performance topped the average forecast of earnings
of 77 cents per share on $22.34 billion in revenue among analysts polled by
Thomson Reuters.
Judge sets deadline for amended Google book deal
NEW YORK (AP) -- A federal judge set a Nov. 9 deadline Wednesday
for submission of a revised agreement in the battle over Google Inc.'s effort
to get digital rights to millions of out-of-print books. Then the debate over
the fairness of the plan will resume.
U.S. District Judge Denny Chin set the deadline after a lawyer
for authors told the judge that Google and lawyers for authors and publishers
were working around the clock to reach a new deal by early November.
The $125 million agreement was being renegotiated after it was
heavily criticized by many of the more than 400 submissions Chin received prior
to a fairness hearing originally scheduled for Wednesday.
By The Associated Press
The Dow fell 5.67, or 0.1 percent, to 9,725.58.
The S&P 500 index rose 2.86, or 0.3 percent, to 1,057.58,
while the Nasdaq composite index rose 6.76, or 0.3 percent, to 2,110.33.
Benchmark crude for November delivery lost $1.31 to settle at
$69.57 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In London, Brent crude gave up
$1.36 to settle at $67.20 on the ICE Futures exchange.
In other Nymex trading, gasoline for November delivery lost 5.24
cents to settle at $1.7203 per gallon, and heating oil gave up 3.31 cents to
settle at $1.7811 a gallon. Natural gas for November delivery added 2.4 cents
to settle at $4.904 per 1,000 cubic feet.