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Home Depot says its fiscal first-quarter profit climbed 27.5 percent as warmer weather brought consumers out for spring gardening and lawn products.

The world’s biggest home-improvement company also boosted its 2012 financial outlook Tuesday, citing its year-to-date performance.

But the Atlanta retailer’s quarterly revenue results and its full-year revenue guidance fell short of analysts’ expectations. Its stock dropped 3 percent in premarket trading.

Home Depot Inc. reported net income of $1.04 billion, or 68 cents per share, for the period ended April 29. That’s up from $812 million, or 50 cents per share, a year earlier.

The latest results beat the 64 cents per share that analysts polled by FactSet expected.

“We saw a stronger-than-expected start to the year, driven by record warm weather and continued demand for core products,” Chairman and CEO Frank Blake said in a statement.

Revenue rose 6 percent to $17.81 billion from $16.8 billion. But that missed Wall Street’s estimate of $17.89 billion.

Home Depot’s shares fell $1.50, or 3 percent, to $48.38 ahead of the market opening.

Revenue at stores open at least a year rose 5.8 percent, with the metric climbing 6.1 percent for U.S. locations.

This figure is a key indicator of a retailer’s health because it excludes results from stores recently opened or closed.

The company expects fiscal 2012 earnings of $2.90 per share, with revenue up about 4.6 percent. This implies revenue of approximately $73.66 billion. Home Depot previously predicted earnings of about $2.79 per share and a 4 percent revenue increase.

Analysts had expected earnings of $2.90 per share on revenue of $74.06 billion.

Home Depot has 2,254 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces, Mexico and China.

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The team at Payday Loan Company is ready to tell anyone yes for a payday loans or cash advance for up to $1000 cash.

Critical last-ditch talks to form a coalition government in crisis-struck Greece foundered once more Sunday, leading the country one step closer to new elections, although the socialist party leader said he retained “existing but limited’ optimism for a deal.

The political uncertainty has alarmed the international creditors who have given Greece billions of euros in bailout loans over the past two years, and has thrown the country’s continued presence in the European Union’s joint currency into serious doubt.

President Karolos Papoulias convened the heads of the parties that came in the top three spots in last Sunday’s inconclusive elections, in an ultimate effort to broker an agreement after a week of talks led to deadlock.

The meeting ended without a solution, but the process continued Sunday evening with the president meeting individually with the leaders of smaller parties that made it into parliament. Those include the extremist right-wing Golden Dawn, whose head, Nikolaos Michaloliakos, caused a furor by giving a fascist salute during an Athens city council meeting last year. The party won 7 percent of the vote in the elections.

Voters furious at the handling of Greece’s financial crisis and two years of harsh austerity measures taken in return for billions of euros in international bailout loans punished the formerly dominant socialist PASOK and conservative New Democracy parties in the elections. The two saw their support crumble to the lowest point in decades, while Radical Left Coalition, or Syriza, made big gains to come in second place after campaigning on an anti-bailout platform.

The PASOK and New Democracy leaders could form a coalition with the smaller Democratic Left party of Fotis Kouvelis _ combined they would have 168 seats in the 300-member parliament. New Democracy won 18.9 percent last Sunday while PASOK garnered just 13.2 percent, compared to nearly 44 percent in the last elections in 2009. Kouvelis’ 6.1 percent put him in a kingmaker position, with 19 seats.

But all three insist any power-sharing deal must include Syriza, led by the 38-year-old Alexis Tsipras, given its strong showing at the ballot box.

Tsipras, however, insists he cannot join or even lend his support to a government that will continue implementing the terms of Greece’s international bailout. In return for euro240 billion in rescue loans from the European Union and International Monetary Fund, Greece has imposed severe spending cuts, including slashing pensions and salaries in the public sector, and repeated rounds of tax hikes. The measures have left Greece mired in a fifth year of deep recession, with unemployment spiraling above 21 percent.

“The three parties that have agreed on a two-year government in order to apply (the bailout) have 168 seats in parliament,” Tsipras said after the meeting. “Let them go ahead. Their demand that Syriza participate come what may in their own agreement is senseless and unprecedented.”

Tsipras insists the terms of the bailout must be cancelled payday loans. PASOK head Evangelos Venizelos, who spent nine months handling the crisis as finance minister, and conservative leader Antonis Samaras, say that position is irresponsible and will force Greece out of the euro. Although Sunday’s meeting convened by the president with the three top party leaders was inconclusive, Venizelos said that “I retain some limited but existing optimism that a government can be formed.”

Samaras appeared more pessimistic.

“I made every effort for the cooperation of all,” he said. “Syriza didn’t listen to the mandate of the Greek people and does not accept not only the formation of a viable government, but not even the tolerance of a government which would in fact undertake to renegotiate the terms of the (bailout) and the loan agreement.”

Tsipras, however, stuck to his position, insisting that supporting a pro-bailout government would be a betrayal of his pre-election platform.

“After today’s meeting it is obvious they are demanding that Syriza become an accessory to a crime,” he said after the discussions with the president. “In the name of democracy, of our patriotic duty, we cannot accept this shared guilt. We call on all Greeks to condemn once and for all the forces of the past and to realize that only one hope remains: unity against blackmail in order to prevent the continuing barbarity.

“Fellow Greeks, we can assure you of one thing: we will not betray you.”

Tsipras will also have his eye on recent opinion polls which show his party would gain strength if Greeks go to the ballot box again next month.

A poll published by To Vima newspaper Sunday indicated Syriza would come first in new elections with 20.5 percent of the vote _ less than the 28 percent an earlier opinion poll published Thursday gave him, but still well ahead of New Democracy. Although it would not be enough to form a government, it would put him in the dominant position to form a coalition with smaller anti-bailout parties.

To Vima’s poll, carried out by Kappa Research, showed New Democracy in second place with 18.1 percent and PASOK losing yet more votes to reach 12.2 percent. The poll was carried out on May 9 and 10, and had a margin of error of 3.09 percentage points.

Attention Sunday night will be focused on the president’s meeting with Kouvelis. First in for the evening round of meetings was Panos Kamenos of the anti-bailout right-wing Independent Greeks party, to be followed by Communist Party head Aleka Papariga and then Michaloliakos.

Papoulias’ mediation to broker a deal could in theory continue until May 17, the scheduled opening date for the new parliament, although they are expected to end sooner. If no agreement is reached, Greece will have to hold new elections next month, most likely on June 10th or 17th.

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Economic turbulence has shrunk the market for business jets, and it’s causing an especially bumpy ride for Hawker Beechcraft.

The Wichita, Kan.-based aircraft maker filed for bankruptcy protection this week, seeking approval for a plan that would write an estimated $2.5 billion in debt off its books and eliminate almost $125 million in annual cash interest expenses.

Hawker Beechcraft Corp., which is owned by Onex Partners and GS Capital Partners, a Goldman Sachs private equity fund, has struggled with the sluggish business jet market more than other plane makers because it was purchased in a highly-leveraged deal at the peak of the general aviation market, just before the market tanked.

“It is one badly damaged firm, in a badly damaged market segment _ just a unique set of circumstances,” said Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst with Teal Group, a Fairfax, Va.-based aerospace and defense analysis company.

The economic downturn that began in late 2008 hit business jet makers especially hard, as corporate customers that were lining up for their own planes earlier in the decade began looking for ways to trim fat. The public outrage that Detroit auto executives took private jets to Washington seeking bailout money that November reinforced the planes’ image as a symbol of corporate excess. Two months later, the White House pressured Citigroup to cancel the planned delivery of a jet.

Wichita, the self-proclaimed “Air Capital of the World,” is the home of major manufacturing plants not only for Hawker Beechcraft but also for Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems, Cessna, Bombardier and more than a hundred smaller aircraft suppliers. But the business jet segment of industry has struggled as its sales sunk by 56 percent during a global economic downturn. Another blow for Wichita came earlier this year when Boeing announced it was closing its defense plant in Wichita.

“Frankly, given what Wichita has been through, this is unpleasant but relatively small,” Aboulafia said.

More than 13,000 aircraft workers here have lost their jobs since the 2008 start of the Great Recession, which pummeled sales of the small and mid-size business jets made by three of Wichita’s major manufacturing facilities.

“This is definitely another blow, another nail in this situation we have been going through and it is definitely not good news,” said Jeremy Hill, director for The Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University.

Since its founding with the highly-leveraged 2007 purchase of Raytheon’s former aircraft unit, Raytheon Aircraft, Hawker Beechcraft has carried a heavy debt burden, reporting a total debt of $2.3 billion at the end of 2011, according to its annual statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Hawker Beechcraft will likely emerge from bankruptcy keeping a majority of its business, although one or two of its product lines could be shut down, Aboulafia said.

“This is a company with good products and a good name,” he said. “They just happen to be carrying a lot of debt and they are going to have to make some tough choices about what they are going to do next.”

In 2009, Hawker delivered 98 business jets. Deliveries plummeted to 51 last year. It has stopped making its Hawker 400XP until demand improves, according to a filing last month.

Hawker Beechcraft sold $2.3 billion worth of business and general aviation planes in 2009. Last year those sales were almost $1 billion lower.

There’s little reason to buy a new jet right now. There are more than 4,000 used business planes on the market right now, said Gordon Blalock, vice president for sales at Omni International Jet Trading. “The market’s so depressed,” he said. “We’re seeing some of these airplanes selling for less than 50 percent of what they sold for brand new.” Several years ago, some planes actually appreciated in value because demand was so high, he said.

Cai von Rumohr, an analyst at Cowen and Co., said Hawker Beechcraft’s financial problems have made it harder to sell jets in the down market, because jet owners want to know that the company that built its plane will be around to service it and make parts.

“They have been losing share in the (business jet) market,” he said. “The crisis of confidence among their customers has been an issue.”

The company also makes trainers and other small planes for the military, but civilian planes are still 56 percent of its revenue, compared to 27 percent for military planes. Hawker has delivered more than 700 T-6 trainers, most of them to the U.S. Air Force and Navy. But that contract is winding down. Hawker is trying to sell a light attack version of that plane to the Air Force, which is reconsidering its initial pick of a competing plane.

For Wichita as well as Kansas, the stakes in the future of Hawker Beechcraft and the aviation industry are high.

Aircraft sales comprise the state’s number one export, accounting for a third of the products it makes, Hill said. In 2008, aerospace accounted for $4.3 billion of Kansas exports _ a number which plummeted to $2.1 billion by 2010. Kansas used to be the sixth largest city among U.S. aviation exporters in 2008, dropping to tenth by 2010.

Hawker Beechcraft employs some 7,400 people, with roughly 4,700 working at its Wichita facility. It also has factories in Little Rock, Ark., Britain and Mexico, as well as more than 100 service centers worldwide.

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ORLANDO, FLA.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says further bond purchases by the Fed remain “very much on the table” if the economy needs further support.

Bernanke says the central bank remains prepared to take additional actions, referring to a possible third round of bond buying. Two now-expired programs of Fed bond purchases have been intended to push down long-term interest rates to encourage borrowing and spending.

Bernanke is speaking at a news conference after a two-day policy meeting.

He says the central bank believes that while inflation has risen lately, it will remain within the Fed’s 2 percent target.

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Governments committed more than $400 billion in fresh money to the International Monetary Fund to help it protect the world economy against deepening debt turmoil in Europe.

That sum is contained in the draft of a statement obtained by Bloomberg News which will be released by Group of 20 finance ministers and central bankers after a meeting now under way in Washington. Specific country contributions will be decided ahead of a Mexican summit of G-20 leaders in June, Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega said.

The near-doubling of the fund

The U.S. unemployment rate might now be below 8 percent had Congress adopted all of President Barack Obama

The Citizens Utility Board is pushing for a cut in Ameren Illiniois’ rates to exclude $42.8 million in spending, including hundreds of thousands of dollars for branding, corporate sponsorships, lobbying and athletic events.

Ameren Illinois in March filed a proposal with the Illinois Commerce Commission that would initially reduce electric rates across its service territory by $19.5 million.

But in testimony filed with the ICC, the Chicago-based consumer group said the reduction in electric delivery rate should go further.

“Ameren’s proposal doesn’t even come close to giving its customers the upfront decrease they deserve,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said.

The rate proposal filed earlier this year is part of Ameren’s 10-year plan to spend $625 million to improve the power grid and install so-called smart meters.

The grid modernization plan was authorized in a bill approved by the legislature last year. The sweeping measure also established a formula for setting future electric rates in Illinois.

The ICC is expected to adjust Ameren’s rates in October.

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A growing number of U.S. companies such as Facebook and Carlyle Group lining up to go public and a smattering of U.S. and European secondary offerings are once again giving investment bankers hope that the moribund equity capital markets may finally be waking up.

The S&P 500 has risen 12 percent in the first quarter and the market volatility tracker VIX is at five-year lows as fears about the U.S. economy and the euro zone debt crisis ease, prompting more companies to tap the public markets after being effectively shut out for the last few months.

Global equity fundraising, including IPOs and secondary offerings, tumbled 25.8 percent in the first quarter of 2012 to $150.2 billion, compared with the same period in 2011, Thomson Reuters data shows.

Global IPO proceeds, which reached $17.4 billion in 173 issues, sank to their lowest volume since the second quarter of 2009, the data shows.

Many risks to a recovery still persist, such as the impact of slowing growth in China on Asian markets, but bankers said they expect volumes at least in the United States to improve over the rest of the year.

“The IPO market had been very slow to get out of the gate in the first half of the quarter, but the last half has really been catching up,” said David Hermer, head of Americas syndicate at Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). “A number of recent landmark deals will materially change the landscape, in a positive way.”

Technology deals, which captured nearly a third of all U.S. IPOs during the quarter, are expected to lead the market again, as investors pile into sectors like cloud computing, social media and mobile.

Bankers said even European companies, particularly those with a tech focus, are thinking about U.S. listings.

British vacuum technology firm Edwards, which pulled a London float last year due to choppy markets, and German high-tech lighting company Novaled this month filed with U.S. regulators for IPOs.

In a sign that the recovery might be more broad-based, companies in other sectors are beginning to test the markets as well. Private equity giant Carlyle Group (CG.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), crafts retailer Michaels Stores MCHST.UL and real estate investment trust Empire State Realty Trust (ESB.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) are all planning IPOs.

“You’re going to see more industrial companies coming out, many with higher levels of financial leverage, along with technology, energy and consumer retail,” said James Palmer, New York-based managing director of equity capital markets at UBS AG (UBSN.VX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz). “You’ll see a much broader spectrum in both the quality and type of product.”

A big chunk of the activity is expected to come from private equity firms, as they look to exit investments, many of which date back to the buyout boom of 2006-2007, and sell down stakes through follow-on offerings.

“Sponsors are going to play an important role in overall capital formation,” said Phil Drury, co-head of equity capital markets in the Americas at Citigroup Inc (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

For banks, more activity means more underwriting fees fast cash loans. In the first quarter, Citigroup topped the global ranking of equity underwriters with 76 deals accounting for proceeds of $14.3 billion, up from No. 7 in the first quarter of 2011.

Goldman Sachs (GS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) came in at No. 2, down from its No. 1 slot in the prior year, and JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) took No. 3, up from its No. 5 position.

Guosen Securities, a Chinese investment bank, was the leader for global IPOs, raising $1.4 billion for clients, thanks to a number of solo deals like a $337.7 million IPO for computer knitting machine producer Ningbo Cixing Co and a $249.8 million offering for silicon maker Xi’an LONGi Silicon Materials.

“The IPO market has been slow to start, but the stars are finally starting to align,” said Brian Reilly, head of U.S. equity capital markets at Barclays (BARC.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

TENTATIVE RECOVERY

While the level of activity is expected to rebound from the lows seen over the last six months, bankers said the global markets are far from getting back to normal. Risks such as worries about a fragile global economy, Europe’s debt problems and escalating tensions with Iran continue to add uncertainty and weigh down the markets.

Investors’ concerns over a slowdown in China’s economy put a damper on the Asia-Pacific market, which had dominated equity capital market issuance as the West grappled with the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008.

“The problems are much closer to home,” said Rupert Mitchell, head of equity syndication for Asia-Pacific at Citigroup. “The world is worried about China right now, where growth is going to be more measured this year.”

Activity in the region tumbled 37 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier to $36.7 billion, the lowest quarterly volume since the second quarter of 2009. IPOs were down 75 percent, accounting for most of the weakness in the beginning of the year.

The major listings expected in Asia this year include the $1 billion IPO by high-end jeweler Graff Diamonds and $1.5 billion offering by Haitong Securities in Hong Kong; the $1 billion IPO by football club Manchester United MNU.UL in Singapore; and nearly $4 billion from two deals in Malaysia: Felda Global Ventures and healthcare company Parkway Pantai.

In Europe, German chemicals maker Evonik and insurance group Talanx and Italian aero-engine parts maker Avio are among those seen as most likely to launch their IPOs in the first half. The sale of the Russian central bank’s stake in Sberbank (SBER.MM: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), worth around $6 billion, could also be launched in mid-April.

But overall companies are likely to wait at least until the second half of the year before tapping the markets, bankers said.

“The market in Europe is open and investors are engaged, but every deal will be evaluated on its own merit and on a case-by-case basis,” said Viswas Raghavan, global head of equity capital markets at JPMorgan.

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