Cabot cheered by carbon black gains

By Patrick Raleigh ERJ On-line news editor

Boston, Massachusetts-Cabot Corp. has reported first quarter earnings of $27 million at its Chemical Business segment, 12.5-percent higher than in the same period last year. The group linked the improvement to cost reduction efforts, improved product mix and currency factors. Sales at the unit rose 14 percent to $351 million.

Cabot’s carbon black business, which represents the bulk of the Chemical Business’ sales, posted profits $5 million higher than a year ago. These gains, said Cabot, reflected a better product…