Mattel gets a Batman boost
Barbie and Batman gave a lift to toymaker Mattel yesterday, as it reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit. Shares rose nearly 10 per cent as the firm kept a tight lid on costs. Mattel said sales were broadly flat at $1.16bn, despite economic turbulence, which helped to boost net income to $96.2m, up nearly 20 per cent on a year ago.