quarterly profits

US computer maker Dell sees its quarterly profits fall as customers around the world buy fewer computers.

German reinsurance giant Munich Re sees its quarterly profits almost wiped out by the financial crisis and hurricane claims.

Japanese car firm Toyota shocks analysts by announcing much lower than expected quarterly profits.

French bank BNP Paribas sees quarterly profits more than halve after it takes a 1.992bn-euro charge to cover bad debts.

German luxury carmaker BMW sees quarterly profits fall because of the global slowdown and says it cannot forecast future results.

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell reports a 71% jump in quarterly profits to $10.9bn helped by record high oil prices earlier this year.

After exiting the citywide Wi-Fi business and getting rid of its investment in Helio, EarthLink has managed to boost its quarterly profits to $54.7 million.

Online retailer Amazon reports a 48% rise in quarterly profits, but warns that its Christmas sales may miss Wall Street targets.

Intel, the world's biggest computer chipmaker, reports a 12% rise in quarterly earnings.

China Mobile, the world's largest mobile phone network, sees quarterly profits rise 51% thanks to strong subscriber growth.