BP Profit Nearly Wiped Out. Guess Why.

BP Plc reported a 91 percent decline in fourth-quarter earnings after average crude oil prices dropped to the lowest in more than a decade. Profit adjusted for one-time items and inventory changes totalled $196 million, the London-based company said Tuesday. That missed the $814.7 million average estimate of 10 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The net loss for the year was $6.5 billion, the most in at least 30 years. But BP is happy to let its debt rise this year to maintain dividends during the slump in oil prices.