Du Pont’s Second-Quarter Earnings Plunge 39%

Du Pont Co.’s second-quarter earnings dropped 39%, and, for the first six months of this year, earnings plunged 59%, compared to the same periods in 1984.

Second-quarter net income was $268 million, down from a record $437 million earned in the second quarter of last year.

Revenue for the second quarter was $8.5 billion, a 6% drop from the $9.1 billion recorded a year earlier.

For the first six months, net income was $332 million, a 59% drop from the $810 million reported in the same period of 1984.

Revenue was $16.8 billion, down 9% from the $18.4 billion in the first half of 1984.

“The reduced earnings reflect continued weakness in the industrial sector of the domestic economy, which has experienced virtually no growth since the middle of 1984,” Du Pont Chairman Edward G. Jefferson said.