AFP - Swedish truckmaker Scania, which is majority-owned by Volkswagen, reported strong second-quarter profits on Friday, beating expectations but warning that 2009 could offer a bumpier ride.

Reuters - Fortune Brands Inc reported a quarterly profit that topped Wall Street's lowered expectations on Friday, after the consumer products maker had warned that weak consumer sentiment, the U.S. housing slump and higher taxes would depress earnings more than expected.

AP - Wall Street abruptly ended an earnings-driven rally and closed sharply lower Thursday after a steeper-than-expected decline in existing home sales and worries about the financial sector chilled the market's recent optimism. The major indexes fell about 2 percent, including the Dow Jones industrial average, which lost more than 280 points.

AP - Ford Motor Co. posted the worst quarterly performance in its history Thursday, losing $8.67 billion in the second quarter.

Reuters - Outerwear maker Columbia Sportswear Co reported a surprising quarterly net loss after a year-ago profit, hurt by a drop in sales and costs for new marketing, advertising and retail expansion plans.

AP - Ford Motor Co. posted its worst quarterly loss ever Thursday in a roiling global auto market that also saw profits fall at Daimler AG, Hyundai Motor Co. and AutoNation Inc. Renault SA reported a profit increase in the first half of the year but still plans to cut jobs and scale back production.