Today's other stories in brief

First quarter Apple profits rise to $1.61 billion

Apple says its net profit in the fiscal first quarter ended December 27th rose to $1.61 billion, or $1.78 a share, from $1.58 billion, or $1.76 a share, a year ago. Revenue rose 5.8 per cent to $10.2 billion, beating the $9.74 billion average Wall Street estimate.

The company, known for conservative forecasts, estimated a profit for the March quarter of 90 cents to $1 a share, on revenue of $7.6 billion to $8 billion.

Apple says it expects margins to be about 30 per cent in the second half of the fiscal year.

The December quarter is traditionally Apple’s strongest, fuelled by holiday season sales. IPod sales rose 3 per cent from a year earlier to 22.7 million units, well ahead of the 18.5 million expected by analysts.

Mac computer sales rose 9 per cent to 2.52 million units, in line with expectations. – (Reuters)

Better-than-expected revenues for EasyJet

British low-cost airline Easy Jet said first-half revenues were likely to come in better than it had expected, although the outlook for summer bookings was uncertain. The crucial summer period remained uncertain, it said, due to the tough economic climate and the weakening of sterling against the euro.

An international consultancy firm is to establish its European headquarters in Dublin in a move that will create 50 jobs.

Gerson Lehrman to set up in Dublin

The Gerson Lehrman Group will start operating this year and will hire at least 25 staff immediately. The company seeks to recruit engineering and software graduates, product managers and professionals.

The firm, which has teams in New York and London, has 200,000 international experts on its books to advise on IT, legal, finance, accounting, sales and marketing operations.

Alexander Saint-Amand, Gerson Lehrman’s chief executive, said: “Ireland’s reputation as a premier centre of education and Dublin’s large population of foreign nationals make the city a perfect location for the office.” – (Reuters)

EBay's holiday quarter profits fall

EBay’s net profit in the fourth quarter, usually its strongest because of holiday sales, fell to $367 million, or 29 cents a share, from $531 million, or 39 cents a share, a year earlier.

Earnings per share came to 41 cents. Total revenue fell 7 per cent to $2.04 billion, below the $2.11 billion expected by Wall Street.

Factory gate prices fell 2.4% in December

Factory gate prices fell 2.4 per cent in December, taking the annual rate of wholesale price inflation down sharply to 2.2 per cent, compared to 5.2 per cent in November.

The price index for export sales decreased by 2.7 per cent in December, according to the Central Statistics Office’s wholesale price index. The index for home sales decreased by 1.3 per cent in the month.

The most significant monthly changes were decreases in pharmaceuticals and other chemical products, basic chemicals and and computers.