On the upside
Proctor & Gamble (NYSE: PG) posted lower sales and a slight dip in profits under the watch of new CEO Bob McDonald. The revenue results were hurt by a stronger dollar.
Kellogg (NYSE: K) posted flat revenues and higher profits as consumers bought more cereal and other home-cooked products amid the recession.
Motorola (NYSE: MOT) announced an unexpected quarterly profit while raising its outlook for the current quarter. Investors were also optimistic about prospects for the new Droid and Cliq smartphones.
On the downside
Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) posted lower revenues and profits as the oil and gas company increased refinery operations to compensate for lower oil prices.
First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR) announced higher revenues and profits, but the results missed expectations. Analysts promptly downgraded shares of the nation's largest solar panel maker.
Monster Worldwide (NYSE: MWW), which operates job search site Monster.com, reported lower revenues and earnings as the job market remained challenging.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of 3 to 1 on the NYSE and by more than 3 to 1 on Nasdaq. The Russell 2000 which tracks small cap stocks gained 9 points to 575.
