US Oil Firms To Earn More

US integrated oil company ConocoPhillips is expected to earn more in the fourth quarter than it did in all of 2002, Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Fadel Gheit said. According to poll by Thomson First Call, Conoco will earn $3.07 a share in the fourth quarter, more than double the profit generated in the year-ago period

ChevronTexaco, the No. 2 integrated oil company in the U.S. behind Exxon Mobil Corp., is expected to report a fourth-quarter profit of $1.40 a share, up from 78 cents a share a year ago, on Jan. 28.