U.S. Bancorp also reported a dip in third-quarter earnings.
Many supermarkets are now reporting a dip in poultry sales.
The unit reported a 5 percent decline in revenue for the quarter, as most of its business lines reported a dip.
Mitchells & Butlers has warned of problems ahead as the pubs group reported a dip in full year revenues and profits.
Despite Nationwide building society reporting a dip in December house prices, Barratt Developments added 1.85p to 90.5p on the theory things could have been worse.
Reporting a dip in half-year profits, the company said it would make a special payout of 150p a share, on top of an regular interim dividend increased 5% to 19.5p.
Last year HarperCollins reported a dip in operating income, largely because of comparisons with the previous year when it had big sales from the movie tie-in for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C. S. Lewis.
The insurance and roadside assistance group also reported a dip in revenues for the six months to 31 July, but Bob Mackenzie, its executive chairman, insisted plans to overhaul the business were on track.
Some European countries reported a dip in natural gas supplies as Russia struggled to meet its domestic needs for heating fuel, although officials at the natural gas monopoly Gazprom denied any disruption in exports.
Interpublic, which owns McCann Erickson Worldwide and the FCB Group, last week reported a dip in revenues for the second quarter this year compared with last, largely because of lower spending by its clients and its disproportionate exposure to the difficult American market.
