Profits On the Rise

The economy expanded 3% in the first quarter, slightly slower than initial estimates by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Profits grew rapidly, however, with operating earnings up 31% over year-ago levels. Over the same time period, current-dollar GDP has advanced 3.5%. Earnings of nonfinancial firms gained 29% over the past year, while financial profits are up 76%. Output-per-hour rose 6% from the first quarter of 2009 to the first quarter of 2010, but compensation advanced a mere 1.6%. Unit labor costs have dropped 4.2%, helping to boost profit margins by 22.3%...

This information is only available to Chemical Week subscribers.

Forgot your user ID or password?
Click here to have it sent to you.

Email Address First Name Last Name

Not an IHS Chemical Week 24/7 member yet? Here's why you should be: Searchable online archive access of the last 2 years of Chemical Week. Print or digital magazine subscription Price and market change alerts Economic data and statistics Buyers' Guides Webcasts | whitepapers