71.   Investors want real companies with proven products earning actual profits.

72.   Investors turned for safety to businesses that tend to earn consistent profits in good economic times and bad, such as food companies and retailers that sell basic goods.

73.   Instead, retailers earn their profits by negotiating with suppliers to obtain rebates and other payments for promotional services.

74.   Investors will almost certainly be looking to see whether AltaVista eventually earns a profit.

75.   It is a conservative, well-regarded institution that earns steady profits from humdrum businesses like securities processing and trust management.

76.   It makes equipment to recognize fingerprints, but has had limited sales and earned no profits.

77.   It remains unclear whether the overall company earned operating profits that month.

78.   It was the first time that Kozmo, which delivered goods ordered on the Internet to consumers in less than an hour, had ever earned profits.

79.   Kavafian said Air Canada may for the first time in its history earn a profit in the first quarter.

80.   Knight-Ridder said it expected to begin earning profits from the deal within three years.