Carnival 2Q Reflects Fuel Costs

According to reports, higher fuel costs and the Caribbean cruise market combined to reduce second-quarter profit 2 percent at Carnival Corp. Net income for the quarter ended May 31 was $380 million, or 46 cents per share, compared with last year's second-quarter profit of $388 million, or 47 cents per share. Wall Street analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had forecast profit of 44 cents a share, on average.

While revenue rose 6 percent to $2.66 billion compared with the same period last year, executives at the Miami-based company said fuel costs were about 43 percent higher. Those high fuel prices are expected to continue through the rest of the year. Source: AP