If Cargill and, say, Vitol or Trafigura were to merge, with one of the oil guys taking over Big-C's energy trading, they would own the world within ten years.
From Reuters Africa:
March-May volatile energy and financial markets weigh
* Cargill Q4 revenue rose 32 percent
* Full-year earnings $2.69 billion, up 35 percent
* Full-year revenues $119.5 billion, up 18 percent (Adds byline, CFO comments, background)
By Christine Stebbins
CHICAGO, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Giant U.S. agribusiness and trading firm Cargill Inc [CARG.UL] said earnings fell 7 percent in its fiscal fourth quarter, hit by volatile energy markets and weaker risk management and food ingredient results.
Minneapolis-based Cargill, one of the world's largest privately held corporations, reported $404 million in earnings from continuing operations in the quarter ended on May 31, compared with $435 million a year earlier.
But Cargill, a top U.S. grain exporter, biofuels producer, food processor and energy trader, also reported fourth-quarter revenue rose 32 percent to $34.8 billion.
"The past year presented a challenging operating environment," Cargill CEO Greg Page said in a statement. "From weather-related supply shocks in food commodities, grain export restrictions and rising energy prices to the uneven global economic recovery, looming sovereign debts and deficits, political unrest and natural disasters -- the uncertainty led to volatile prices across a range of raw materials."...MORE
