Corporate Profits At All-Time High As Recovery Stumbles

[somone]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/25/corporate-profits-2011-all-time-high_n_840538.html

Corporate Profits At All-Time High As Recovery Stumbles

NEW YORK -- Despite high unemployment and a largely languishing real estate market, U.S. businesses are more profitable than ever, according to federal figures released on Friday.

U.S. corporate profits hit an all-time high at the end of 2010, with financial firms showing some of the biggest gains, data from the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis show. Corporations reported an annualized $1.68 trillion in profit in the fourth quarter. The previous record, without being adjusted for inflation, was $1.65 trillion in the third quarter of 2006.

Many of the nation's preeminent companies have posted massive increases in profits this year. General Electric posted worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, while profits at JPMorgan Chase were up 47 percent to $4.8 billion.

Corporate profits steadily increased last year as companies continued holding onto record amounts of cash and other liquid assets while cutting costs, laying off workers and wringing more productivity -- defined as the amount of output that comes from an hour of work -- from remaining staff, even as the recession eased...

[xchrom]

1. Tax the rich, end corporate welfare, cut DoD, end Free Trade. Nt

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. This is how change begins. Kick and Recommend.

[handmade34]

3. ...

IMG]

[dkf]

4. Well only an increase in revenues is going to do the trick.

An increase in profits on the backs of overworked employees is unsustainable.

[Enrique]

5. still won't be enough!

more! more! more!

[notesdev]

6. Just out of curiousity

What happens to the profit numbers when you take out the "too big to fail" companies?

I'd wager that the story looks very different once the government-supported asset-stripping industry is factored out of the equation.

[inna]

7. yet another thank you, President Obama

[jpbollma]

8. jobless recovery

..