Decline in input cost prices and strong performance by hair and skin care category helped Dabur India Ltd to show good results in the third quarter of current financial year. The firm posted a rise of 16.1% in net profit for Q3 ended December 31, 2008 despite low customer spending and tight financial conditions.

Sunil Duggal, Chief Executive, Dabur India said, "Even in the current economic scenario, demand for our everyday use products continue to be strong and we have not seen any significant impact on consumer spending." He hoped that the firm would continue to expand its business in next financial year despite global slowdown.

Higher input costs and global slowdown adversely hit the business of state operated Steel Authority of India (SAIL) for the third quarter of current financial year.

The steel giant registered 56.4% decline in net profit for the quarter ended December 31, 2008 leading to a setback for its expansion plans amid recessionary waves across the world.

Tokyo - Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc, Japan's third-largest bank, on Wednesday reported a 74-per-cent decline in profits for the first nine months of the fiscal year.

Net profit for April through December dropped to 83.4 billion yen (934 million dollars) after 319.5 billion yen in the same period last year.

Responsible for the slump were a radical rise in credit costs as well as losses generated by dropping stock values, the company said.

Operating profit dropped from 3.2 trillion yen to 2.8 trillion yen year-on-year.

San Francisco - Troubled internet pioneer Yahoo swung to a quarterly loss Tuesday because of severance pay and write downs on its European properties.

Despite recording a 303-million-dollar loss in the fourth quarter, the company's results beat expectations as its revenues and operating profit held up well in the dire economic climate.

India-based Kale Consultants has announced that its revenues for the three month period ended December 31, 2008 rose by 26% to Rs 251.27 million against Rs 199.87 million for the corresponding quarter of the previous year (Dec 2007).

The company has recorded a net profit after tax of Rs 14.79 million, up 79% as compared to Rs 8.26 million for the same period year ago.

According to sources, company's consolidated total income climbed 29% form Rs 286.78 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2007 to Rs 368.66 million for the quarter ended Dec 31, 2008.

Munich- German engineering giant Siemens got off to a good start in the new business year, reporting an increase in earnings Tuesday while expressing cautious optimism for the future.

Earnings for the first quarter climbed 7 per cent from a year ago to 19.6 billion euros (25.6 billion dollars), the company said at the start of its annual general meeting.

Profit in the energy, industry and health sectors rose 20 per cent to 2 billion euros in the financial year ending in September, although net income slumped from 6.4 billion euros to 1.2 billion euros.