BHP Billiton Earnings up for Second Half of 2008, Project Deferrals and Suspensions Likely to Continue, an Industrial Info News Alert

SUGAR LAND, TX, Feb 05, 2009 -- Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas) -- Australian miner BHP Billiton (Melbourne, Victoria) (NYSE:BHP) recently reported earnings for the half-year ending December 31, 2008. The company's earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) were up 23.7% year over year. However, BHP Billiton's exceptional expenses, which included the suspension of the company's Ravensthorpe nickel operations in Australia and the decision to not pursue a merger with Rio Tinto plc (NYSE:RTP) (London, United Kingdom), reduced the company's actual attributable profit more than $4.67 billion.