11.   Northwest Airlines Corp. said second-quarter earnings almost doubled on more revenue from its Pacific flights and the lapse of a federal excise tax.

12.   Phillips Petroleum Co. said its second-quarter earnings almost doubled because of higher gas and oil prices.

13.   Starwood Lodging Trust said third-quarter earnings almost doubled on hotel acquisitions and higher room rates.

14.   The company said third-quarter earnings almost doubled as cost-cutting bolstered margins, offsetting a sales decline.

15.   The Mountain View, California-based software maker also said that fiscal second-quarter earnings doubled on strong sales of its electronic publishing software.

16.   And shares of a competitor, Dow Chemical, held up after that company said its third-quarter earnings doubled.

17.   Sony Corp. said Wednesday its earnings doubled in the third fiscal quarter on stronger sales and the rise of the U.S. dollar against the Japanese yen.

18.   Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. said its pre-tax earnings almost doubled, while Hitachi Zosen Corp. posted a modest profit increase for the same period.