Crude Gains on Lower Supply; Comcast Earnings Boost; Garmin Shares Plunge on Lowered Outlook; United’s Pilot Trouble; Private Employers Add Jobs; Nissan Buys Out TN Plants; ArcelorMittal’s Strong Second Quarter; Nintendo Brings Its A-Game

• Crude oil for September delivery gained $4.58 yesterday (Wednesday) to close at $126.77 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, MarketWatch reported, after the Energy Information Administration announced crude supplies fell 100,000 barrels to 295.2 million barrels for the week ended July 25.

• Comcast Corp. (CMCSA), the largest U.S. cable television provider, announced yesterday (Wednesday) that net profit in the second quarter rose to $632 million, or 21 cents a share, from $588 million, or 19 cents a share, in the prior year, Reuters reported. Comcast stock gained 89 cents, a 4.64% increase, to close at $20.07 on the news.

• Navigation system maker Garmin Ltd. (GRMN) lowed its full-year outlook to $4.13 per share from an earlier estimate of $4.40 per share in light of the weakening U.S. economic conditions, Forbes reported. Yesterday (Wednesday), the firm missed earnings expectations for the quarter ended June 28, causing shares to plunge over 20%.

• UAL Corp. (UAUA), parent of United Air Lines Inc., filed suit yesterday (Wednesday) against the Air Line Pilots Association union, The Wall Street Journal reported. UAL is seeking an injunction against an unlawful sickout, which caused United to cancel an abnormal number of flights.

• Private employers added 9,000 jobs in July, a private report by ADP Employer Services said yesterday (Wednesday). In June, the private sector slashed 77,000, according to revised data. June was originally reported as 79,000 jobs lost.

• Nisssan Motor Co. Ltd. (ADR: NSANY) said yesterday (Wednesday) that it plans to offer buyouts to about 6,000 workers at its two Tennessee plants and eliminate a night shift at one of them, Reuters reported. Citing lower demand for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles the company said it would offer technicians and salaried employees a lump sum of $100,000 or $125,000, depending on tenure, as well as medical and car purchase benefits.

• ArcelorMittal (ADR: MT) had a second-quarter surge in earnings, as high steel prices offset soaring mineral costs. Net income rose to $5.84 billion from $2.72 billion a year earlier. Revenue was $37.84 billion, from $27.2 billion a year earlier.

• Nintendo Co. Ltd.’s (OTC ADR: NTDOY) quarterly profit rose 31.5% on the runaway success of its Wii game console. The Wii outsold Sony Corp.’s (SNE) PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Corp.’s (MSFT) Xbox 360, putting Nintendo in the leading position in the three-way game console battle, Reuters reported. April-June net profit rose 33.7% to $1 billion (¥107.27 billion) on sales of $3.9 billion (¥423.38 billion), up 24.4%.

Source: Global Investing Roundups Thursday, July 31st, 2008

Editors Note:  Money Morning’s Investment Director Keith Fitz-Gerald says increased wealth and Western influence are having a major impact on the local diet in places like Japan and China. As a result, people are getting bigger. As obesity becomes a social issue, companies will be scrambling to join the new health movement. This, says Keith, will create great opportunities for investors…

There’s an old adage in business that big contracts command big headlines. But bigger isn’t always better. All too often, companies that focus only on big contracts discover there are very lean stretches between contract awards. And that affects the predictability of their earnings.