While Slick Exxon Pulls in the Dough, AMEX does Express checkout, and Motorola gets cut-off

Once upon a time....

Exxon Mobil, one of the companies that Sarah Palin took ON, reported that it made nearly $15 Billion in net income in 3Q 2008. It is a truly staggering number. To put it in perspective, Wal-Mart will make approx. $14 Billion in Profit FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR. Microsoft will make around $18 Billion in net income FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.

Sliding backward on a slick patch, American Express, in a stark acknowledgment of the tough times ahead in the credit card industry, said Thursday that it plans to cut 7,000 jobs, or about 10 percent of its worldwide work force, in an effort to slash costs by $1.8 billion in 2009. (AP)

Motorola, continuing to be plagued by problems in its cell phone business, posted a $397M loss in 3rd-qtr, and said it would get rid of 3,000 jobs by April, with about 2,000 of them coming from the cell phone unit. The company last announced 2,600 job cuts in April.

These stories highlight the strengths and weaknesses dotting the landscape.