The disappointing fourth quarter results were the fifth consecutive quarter of sharp declines which embattled CEO Whitman concedes are likely to continue.
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It had many economists worried about a double-dip back into recession, especially after economic reports for July and August, the first two months of the third quarter, showed sharp declines in auto sales, home sales, and consumer and business confidence.
Asus' PC shipments fell nearly 9 percent to 5.1 million units in the first quarter, admittedly a sharp decline, but far less than the industry's overall 12.7 percent fall.
"There was little to be critical of in this quarter, and the sharp pricing actions and strong orders bode well for the second half of the year, " Baugh said.
That would lead to seasonal upside in the current quarter, shifting some of the sharp unit growth from the new iPhone ramp from the September quarter to the December quarter.
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With luck, a sharp second-quarter slowdown will lead to a calmer economy in the second half of the year as the Asia effect continues to bite and domestic demand slows.
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Hayter took advantage of good work from Billy Sharp just before the quarter-hour to break the deadlock by side-footing home past Luke Steele.
The sharp decrease in the second quarter took some experts by surprise.
This is in sharp contrast to lousy fourth quarter retail sales.
Amazon's spending on employee additions, fulfillment centers and data infrastructure contributed to a sharp drop in fourth-quarter profit, as the company's normally impressive rate of quarterly revenue growth missed expectations.
Qualcomm (QCOM) shares are heading higher in the after-hours trading session on better-than-expected results for its fiscal first quarter ended December 26, and a sharp increase in guidance for the rest of the year.
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According to Japan's Nikkei news service, Apple had originally ordered 65 million iPhone screens for the 2013 January-to-March quarter from its suppliers which include Japan's Sharp Corp. and South Korea's LG Display Co.
Turns out, a good chunk of it resulted from the price spike in the quarter for hard disk drives, which saw a sharp fall-off in supply as as a result of the recent severe flooding in Thailand.
Much was made of the sharp deceleration of real GDP growth in the second quarter, to 1.7 percent.
Analysts expect a burst of business activity in the fourth quarter as companies add to their inventories, followed by a sharp decline in buying during the first three months of 2000.
Circuit City said Monday it earned six cents a share for the latest quarter, two cents better than Wall Street estimates and a sharp turnaround form last year's three cents a share loss.
India's current account deficit widened to a record 5.4% of gross domestic product in the July-September quarter primarily driven by high oil and gold imports and a sharp slowdown in exports witnessed over the past year.
Israel's Derrick Sharp hit a three-pointer midway through the last quarter to cut Spain's lead to four points at 61-57.
In earnings news, Toll Brothers (TOL) said that third quarter profit was up 46 percent as the luxury homebuilder saw a sharp increase in new orders.
Bear is due to report its third-quarter earnings on September 20th: it will be clearer then just how sharp Mr Lewis's trading instincts are.
Then on Wednesday, ASML Holding, a key European supplier to computer chip makers, said it swung to a profit in the second quarter after a loss in the year-ago period thanks to a sharp rebound in demand.
Consumer services, which includes hotels, bars and restaurants, saw a sharp drop in activity, but not as much as the previous quarter.
Sharp 38.0% gains in the stock in the first quarter of 2012 evaporated in April and the first couple of weeks in May.
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Paper and consumer care products maker Kimberly-Clark said first quarter earnings fell 8.9%, largely as a result of a sharp increase in costs that the company pays for materials like wood pulp.
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The financial sector is working its way back to health, and the second quarter should show distinct signs of improvement, but investors need to keep a sharp eye out for the usual suspects that have marred results for the past few years: loan losses and credit quality.
"The sharp deterioration in trade shaves a bit from the outlook for growth in the first quarter, " said Diane Swonk, chief economist at Mesirow Financial in Chicago.
The numbers are in sharp contrast with the traditional personal computer market, which saw shipments decline during the quarter for the first time in more than five years.
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Although Nickelodeon and MTV have seen sharp declines in their ratings in 2012, we have noted some recovery in the first quarter of fiscal 2013 aided by softer comparisons and an improvement in programming.
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