Earnings soar, thanks to Dow

The economic performance of Dow Chemicals in the last quarter of 2003 is discussed. The company fetched a gain of $475 million as compared to a loss of $172 million in the fourth quarter of 2002. Dow's pricing outperformed the government's producer price index for chemicals and completely skewed the industry's financial results. The industry as a whole earned $1.56 billion, which is 95.9% more than the amount earned in the same period in 2002.