Hurricanes, Higher Costs Lower DuPont 4Q Outlook

The Associated Press is reporting that DuPont is warning that its fourth-quarter earnings will be less than half of what it had predicted because of the effects of last year's Gulf Coast hurricanes, worse-than-expected business performance, and higher raw material costs.

The company also predicted that raw material costs would rise further in 2006.

DuPont is the latest in a string of companies, including Alcoa and BP PLC, to cite the ongoing effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.