1.   Among other large local companies, Staples Inc., State Street Corp., Allmerica Financial Corp., and Boston Scientific Corp. were expected to report higher quarterly profits.

2.   And executives have told some regulators that the proposed rule could shave millions off its quarterly profits.

3.   Analysts noted that Bristol-Myers Squibb and Schering-Plough also recently announced quarterly profit that exceeded projections.

4.   And the company hopes to report its first quarterly profit this year, she said, ahead of most Internet retailers.

5.   ATLANTA - Home Depot has trimmed its plans for new stores this year as the retailer faces its first quarterly profit declines in years.

6.   A handful of personal computer stocks, such as Hewlett-Packard Co., rose on optimism that quarterly profits will meet or exceed expectations.

7.   A quarterly profit announced last January has helped revive the stock, to be sure.

8.   After more than three years of flying in the red, Vanguard Airlines has eked out its first quarterly profit ever.

9.   After the close, Microsoft announced higher than expected quarterly profits.

10.   AirTran Chairman Joseph Leonard noted the quarterly profit was the sixth in a row for AirTran, which had previously struggled.