http://channels.netscape.com/ns/news/story.jsp?id=2004062820060002459941&dt=20040628200600&w=RTR&coview=US corporate profits seen up 25 pct, could be peak
NEW YORK, June 28 (Reuters) - U.S. companies are set to post 25 percent profit growth for the April-to-June quarter compared with a year ago, based on Wall Street forecasts, as corporate America gears up for its ninth straight quarter of higher earnings.
The jump comes as consumers demand more goods while companies maximize productivity and benefit from low borrowing costs. But it may leave stocks cold, stuck below the highs of the first three months of the year, as many see profit growth at its peak.
Companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> are expected to post a 20.2 percent increase in second-quarter profit over last year's second quarter, according to forecasts by Wall Street analysts, as compiled by Reuters Estimates.Profits up, wages and good jobs down.
Who benefits from Bush's "economic recovery"?