EXXON'S REFINING PROFIT JUMPS 31% IN QUARTER

ExxonMobil's refining business earned $7.17 billion in the third quarter, up 31% from $5.47 billion in the second, as its U.S. Gulf Coast refineries hit 100% crude unit utilization. That jump carried the company to $15.4 billion in net income for the quarter. $XOM's oil wells took a back seat to its refineries this time.