U.S. corporations reported a slight 0.2% increase...

U.S. corporations reported a slight 0.2% increase in profits in the July-September quarter after posting a large gain in the previous three-month period, the government said. The Commerce Department said third-quarter profits after taxes rose $400 million to $163.1 billion, the worst showing since a 2.5% loss in the final quarter of 1987. Robert Dederick, an economist with Northern Trust Co. in Chicago, said profits are in part rebounding from the unusually strong 8.9% increase in the second quarter. But he said earnings also were hurt because inflation is forcing companies to pay more for labor and materials.