"When economic growth slows, profit gains are one of the first places to feel it."

And the quarter's profit gains, though certainly welcome, represent only a first step in recovering ground lost during the last several years.

Some also said that investors might fear disappointing profit gains in coming quarters because the latter part of 1999 had been so strong.

Both are comfortably ahead of the 14.4 percent posted for the stock market as a whole, not to mention well above the companies' profit gains.

Yesterday's advance was led still another time by technology issues on the basis of expected profit gains in the third quarter.

These wide spreads, particularly at the end of the year, translated into huge profit gains.

We expect that there will be profit gains of close to 10 percent next year.

Some of the largest hospital operators point to other explanations for their profit gains.

This method would have promised high profit gains to the operators.

The oil and gas production unit posted a small profit gain.