Because most businesses have trimmed their expense structures to the bone, any revenue growth has an out-sized effect on profits.

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The strength of the currency effectively pins down the profits of the countries sumo sized companies such as Toyota and Nomura while simultaneously making the generation of profits more difficult as well.

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The Walt Disney Co. had a Hulk-sized second quarter, where profits jumped 24% on a surge in its studio business.

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However, it does appear that small- and mid-sized manufacturers are expecting increased revenues and profits.

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The golden glow of big profits obscured the Grand Canyon-sized risk involved.

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The Star Wars franchise also meant big profits, an unstoppable Death-Star-sized money machine that has still never been matched in Hollywood history.

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Reckitt Benckiser, a medium-sized British firm, reported a 14% increase in profits in the second quarter compared with the previous year, and an 8% increase in sales.

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Of the 30 firms whose profits grew fastest in the first six months of this year, only ten were small or medium-sized companies.

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