Industrials

A major port strike has been averted, at least until Dec. 30.

The specialty vehicle maker anticipates doubling earnings over the next three years.

The steel producer warned it will take a $29 million charge in the third quarter.  

Hit by slipping demand for pork, meat producer Smithfield Foods posted a deeper-than-expected 25% tumble in fiscal first-quarter earnings.

Dow Chemical is forming a new global business structure that will include an array of business presidents each responsible for improving earnings in their respective markets.

Blackstone Group inked a deal on Wednesday to buy home automation provider Vivint for $2 billion.

Private-equity giant Carlyle Group continued its torrent buyout pace on Thursday, scooping up DuPont’s car paint business for $4.9 billion.

Isaac weakened to a tropical storm Wednesday afternoon and a gradual weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours as it continues to move farther inland, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in its latest bulletin.

While Joy Global said there is evidence showing that both the U.S. and China markets have bottomed, the company said it anticipates a sluggish recovery.

Producer prices increased in July at the fastest pace in five months. The increase was driven by gains in consumer goods although falling energy prices pointed to muted inflation pressures. 

Business inventories rose despite sales at companies falling the most in over three years.

Tropical Storm Isaac strengthened to become a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph as it looks to strike New Orleans almost seven years after Hurricane Katrina.

Shares of the world's largest agricultural equipment maker are falling after the company reported weaker-than-expected earnings.

The pharmaceutical company now expects net earnings per share to range between $3.72 and $3.82.

The fertilizer producer reported a lower-than-expected profit, suffering falling demand after an aggressive spring planting season.

The cigarette manufacturer lowered its reported fiscal 2012 earnings forecast citing one-time charges related to a plan to buy back as much as $2 billion of its long-term debt.  

The automaker will employ a new manufacturing process to make transmissions at its Indiana plant that will save costs and be replicated in its other plants down the road.

In its first earnings report since returning to the public markets, Burger King Worldwide revealed a 60% leap in second-quarter profits as the fast-food chain enjoyed stronger same-store sales growth than archrival McDonald’s.

Harley-Davidson posts better-than-expected 30% increase in earnings and stronger sales but shares fall on demand concerns. 

Factory activity in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region shrank in August, though the pace of contraction eased.