Business: Slump's Worst Victims

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The bigger the business, the better it has resisted the recession. The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission reported last week that in 1958's first quarter, small businessmen suffered the worst profits pinch. For manufacturers, the annual rate of after-tax profit to stockholders' equity was:

Assets Return

Over $1 billion 9.5%

$100 million to $1 billion 7.4%

$50 million to $100 million 7.3%

$10 million to $50 million 5.8%

$5,000,000 to $10 million 4.9%

$1,000,000 to $5,000,000 2.9%

$250,000 to $1,000,000 2.1%

Less than $250,000 3% loss

Altogether, the average return dipped from 11.9% a year ago to 6.8%, lowest since the quarterly calculations began in 1947. Total after-tax profits for manufacturers: $2.5 billion, down 40%.