We are very pleased with our earnings performance for the...

We are very pleased with our earnings performance for the first half of the year, since we have been able to more than offset a 16 percent drop in aluminum prices on the (London Metals Exchange) since the beginning of 1998, ... We look forward to the addition of Alumax in the next quarter and have been hard at work with Alumax employees to make the acquisition very beneficial to Alcoa customers and shareholders.