1.   Profit gains in some operations were balanced by reductions in others.

2.   As in past quarters, the Chicago-based company produced a strong profit gain even while reporting declines in unit sales for several of its products.

3.   As Penney has gone seven straight the wrong way, Sears reported profit gains in five of the last six quarters.

4.   Barring a crush of positive surprises, corporate profit gains are expected to be far smaller than in former quarters.

5.   Big profit gains were reported by Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan, Travelers, Bear Stearns and other Wall Street firms.

6.   A rising dollar makes dollar-denominated investments like government securities more attractive to foreign investors because of the potential for profit gains in currency translation.

7.   Adding to concern over rates are expectations for less-than-robust profit gains in the second quarter, traders said.

8.   After six years of mostly double-digit profit gains, the case for a longer lasting slowdown is growing.

9.   All the same, profit gains have come largely because the thrift is losing less money on bad loans.

10.   British general insurers Commercial Union Plc and Royal Insurance Holdings Plc are expected to post profit gains and increased dividends even as competition squeezes U.K. results.