ExxonMobil, the world’s largest listed oil company, today reported Q4 net profits of $8.42bn. This represents an increase from Q3 earnings of $5.68bn, which were especially inflated by rising oil prices. Despite slowed productivity in 2004, the company still reported full year net profits of $25.3bn for 2004. Although general market expectations were surpassed, the [...]

The U.S. Department of Commerce has announced that growth in personal income for December was mostly accounted for by a large dividend paid out to Microsoft stocholders. Microsoft made a one-time exceptional dividend payment of $32 billion, pushing an an otherwise growth rate of 0.6% for December to 3.7% for the month. The pay-out was [...]

Wall Street Journal publisher, Dow Jones, reported a loss of net profit in Q4 by nearly 20%, as b2b advertising revenues continue to fall. Although the company was upbeat about “continued momemtum”, morning trade on the NY stock exchange left shares of Dow Jones down $1.06 at $39.16.

DirecTV, the satellite channel owned by Rupert Murdoch, narrowed losses for the year at $283m, down on $310m a year ago. However, reports that costs for winning new subscribers were rising, combined with higher churn, left the markets little choice but to reduce the value of the company by 3%. The company continues to add [...]

Telecoms company Verizon announced strong Q4 earning and growth, reflecting a strong year of trading for the company. Verizon Wireless, its mobile joint venture with Vodafone of the UK, is targeted as the key engine of Verizon’s current success, which saw Q4 income of $3bn – a sea-change on the previous year’s loss of $1.5bn [...]

South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) are probing US Equity firm, Warburg Pincus, over suspicions of insider trading over shares in LG Card. Warburg Pincus had originally held a 20% share in LG Card until October 2003, when it sold most of it’s main shareholding. Shortly afterwards, LG Card was pushed close to banruptcy after [...]