CANTON, Mass.-- The parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins said Thursday that its fourth-quarter net income nearly tripled as more customers headed to its shops and spent more there. Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. earned $34.3 million, or 32 cents per share, for the quarter ended Dec. 29.
TOKYO, Jan 31- All Nippon Airways said on Thursday its flight cancellations in January due to the grounding of Boeing Co's 787 Dreamliner jet would result in 1.4 billion yen in decreased revenue. The Group has calculated that the impact of these cancellations will amount to circa 1.4 billion yen of decreased revenue, "the carrier said.
*Brent crude hits highest since Oct 16. NEW YORK, Jan 30- Commodities rallied on Wednesday, with oil, corn and soybean prices hitting multi-week highs, propelled by encouraging economic data from Europe, a weak dollar and concerns about tighter supplies of raw materials. Federal Reserve to maintain its monthly $85 billion bond-buying stimulus plan.
Jan 30- Skyworks Solutions Inc, a supplier to Apple Inc, reported better-than-expected quarterly results on higher demand for its chips used to connect cellphones to networks. Skyworks' net income rose to $66.5 million, or 34 cents per share, in the first quarter, from $57.1 million, or 30 cents per share, a year earlier.
*Global Aerospace backed by Berkshire, Munich Re. LONDON, Jan 30- Boeing Co has some insurance in case its aircraft are grounded, but it is far too soon to say whether the problems with the 787 Dreamliner will lead to significant claims, the head of the planemaker's lead insurer said on Wednesday.
*Boeing sticks with lithium-ion battery despite issues. *Boeing tops estimate by 9 cents. NEW YORK, Jan 30- Boeing Co said on Wednesday it was sticking with the troubled lithium-ion battery technology that this month grounded its high-tech 787 Dreamliner, and that the grounding had no significant financial impact on its 2013 forecast.
Shares of Boston Scientific Corp. continued climbing Wednesday, a day after the medical device maker topped analyst expectations with its fourth-quarter earnings report.
TOKYO, Jan 30- Japan's two biggest airlines replaced lithium-ion batteries on their Boeing Co 787 Dreamliners in the months before separate incidents led to the technologically advanced aircraft being grounded worldwide due to battery problems.
NEW YORK-- Dunkin' Donuts is about to face off with Starbucks in Vietnam. The parent company of the chain, Dunkin' Brands Group Inc., said Wednesday that it signed a franchise deal to develop the brand in the coffee-loving country, with the first locations planned for Ho Chi Minh City area.
*Contrafund owned $6.15 bln of Apple at end of December. Fidelity's Danoff still likes Apple's cash generation. BOSTON, Jan 30- Portfolio manager Will Danoff, whose $85 billion Fidelity Contrafund is the largest active shareholder in Apple Inc, trimmed his holdings in the maker of the iPhone by 3.1 percent in December.
WASHINGTON, Jan 30- The U.S. economy unexpectedly contracted in the fourth quarter, suffering its first decline since the recession ended more than three years ago as businesses scaled back on restocking and government spending plunged.
*Contrafund owned $6.15 bln of Apple at end of December. *Fidelity's Danoff still likes Apple's cash generation. BOSTON, Jan 30- Portfolio manager Will Danoff, whose $85 billion Fidelity Contrafund is the largest active shareholder in Apple Inc, trimmed his holdings in the maker of the iPhone by 3.1 percent in December.
BRAINTREE, Mass.-- Haemonetics Corp.' s fiscal third quarter earnings plunged 46 percent, as the blood management company invested in a new business and incurred other charges that dragged down results. The Braintree, Mass., company said Wednesday it earned $9.9 million, or 19 cents per share, in the quarter that ended Dec. 29.
TOKYO, Jan 30- Japan's two biggest airlines replaced below-par lithium-ion batteries on their Boeing Co 787 Dreamliners in the months before separate incidents led to the technologically advanced aircraft being grounded worldwide due to battery problems.
WASHINGTON, Jan 30- The Federal Reserve is expected to keep monetary policy on a steady path when it concludes a two-day meeting on Wednesday, though behind the scenes intensive debate continues over when the controversial bond-buying program should be curtailed.
NEW YORK, Jan 30- Brent crude touched a three-month high on Wednesday after better-than-expected European data spurred optimism over the global economy, but oil later pared gains on surprisingly weak U.S. growth figures. Brent crude futures were 24 cents higher at $114.60 a barrel by 12:01 p.m. EST after hitting $115.24, their highest since Oct. 16, 2012.
TOKYO, Jan 30- All Nippon Airways said it had replaced 10 below-par lithium-ion batteries on its Boeing Co 787 Dreamliners in the months before one of the passenger jets was forced to make an emergency landing due to an overheated battery triggering smoke alarms.
*A Life Tech buy would mark Thermo Fisher's largest deal. NEW YORK, Jan 29- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc is considering making an offer for Life Technologies Corp, the biomedical laboratory equipment maker that is exploring a potential sale, three people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-- Specialty drugmaker Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. swung to a loss in the fourth quarter as doctors turned away from the company's best-selling drug for treating hepatitis C. Most of the decline was due to lower sales of the company's hepatitis C pill, Incivek, which contributed $223 million, down from $457 million.