Falling prices for newsprint, which represents about 20 percent of total newspaper costs, is helping to lift earnings for publishers.

But currency- translation gains because of a weak American dollar have lifted earnings and sales.

The booming stock market lifted earnings of Dean Witter's securities business to $56.6 million, up 68.5 percent, from $33.6 million a year ago.

And while the moves have left revenues flat, the company has pleased shareholders by buying back 10 percent of its stock, lifting per-share earnings.

And they question whether fee-based businesses - an increasingly important source of bank revenue - will lift earnings.

Expenses in one period were pushed into later quarters, with the combined effect of artificially lifting both sales and earnings.

Mr. Burnett also says health care executives are finding it tougher than ever to lift earnings.

A lower tax rate and favorable currency exchange rates also helped to lift earnings.

Nonrecurring tax benefits are expected to lift total earnings to the range of 30 cents to 35 cents.

The company spun off Comet in the second quarter of 2001, and in doing so, lifted earnings per share.