net profit

Diageo PLC, the world's largest producer and distributor of alcoholic drinks, said it is pushing ahead with its focus on premium sales as it posted a small rise in full-year net profit on Thursday and cut its earnings forecasts for the current year.

PetroChina's first-half net profit fell 34.5 percent, the oil company said Wednesday, amid rising losses in its refining business mainly due to Chinese domestic price controls.

PetroChina is expected to report that its first-half net profit fell by at least a third, analysts say, as losses in its refining business eroded gains from surging crude oil prices.

Qantas Airways Ltd. reported Thursday a 44 percent rise in annual net profit, but acknowledged it is beginning to feel the effect of a slowing economy and higher fuel costs.

Concert company Live Nation Inc. says its net profit in the second quarter shrank 88 percent to $1.2 million, or two cents a share.

Nestle SA, the worlds biggest food and drink company, reported 6.1 percent growth in first-half net profit Thursday despite rising transport and raw materials costs and slowing bottled water sales amid criticism from environmentalists.

French bank BNP Paribas said Wednesday profit and revenue fell for the third consecutive quarter as the global financial crisis continued to weigh on earnings.

Reinsurer Munich Re AG said Wednesday the company's second-quarter net profit fell by 47 percent amid market turmoil and asset write-downs of 889 million euros ($1.38 billion).

Société Générale, which lost nearly $7.2 billion in a trading scandal this year, said quarterly net profit fell 63 percent, on write-downs and after its investment banking unit posted a loss.

French bank Societe Generale SA said Tuesday net profit fell 63 percent in the second quarter, after its investment banking unit posted a loss.