s 500

On the surface, U.S. companies' second-quarter earnings were fairly respectable when you strip away the financial sector — profits for Standard & Poor's 500 members rose about 10 percent from a year earlier after falling sharply the two previous quarters.

Of the 10 best-paid CEOs at Standard & Poor's 500 companies in 2006, six made less money last year. Three have since left their posts.

Here's a rundown of how they fared. CEOs are listed with the companies they headed in 2006.

For the first time since the bubble burst earlier this decade, information technology stocks have overtaken financials as the largest sector by market value in the Standard & Poor's 500 index.

But that alignment might not last for long — soaring oil prices have helped lift the energy sector to a close third.

Stocks tumbled Thursday as renewed concerns about the credit markets and another dose of disappointing housing numbers intensified the market's worries about the sagging economy.

The Dow Jones industrials fell more than 100 points while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index gave up more than 1 percent.