As a result, Mattel's earnings have slumped and its stock price has tumbled.

Although sales rose slightly to $1.2 billion last year, earnings slumped 35.5 percent, to $47.5 million, and quarterly results since have been mostly unfavorable.

Investors were disappointed at the Fed's reluctance to cut interest rates and fearful that earnings would slump.

Indeed, in the slowdown of the early 1990's earnings slumped but stock prices continued to rise.

After the Zurich-based company's first-quarter earnings slumped, it reduced the rate of investments in private equity.

The new strategy was put into place when earnings and sales slumped after the 1987 stock market crash.

In chemicals, earnings slumped to $150 million, from $223 million.

Since 2001, Merck's earnings have slumped 20 percent.

The company's earnings last year slumped by 15 percent, to $110.1 million, or $2.27 a share, from $130.9 million, or $2.72 a share.

Operating earnings slumped to $28.9 million from $42.7 million.