DuPont forecasts higher 2016 earnings, helped by cost cuts

(Reuters) – Chemicals and seed producer DuPont’s <DD.N> quarterly profit topped analysts’ estimates as the company intensifies its cost-cutting efforts ahead of its merger with Dow Chemical Co <DOW.N>.
DuPont said on Tuesday it was looking to cut its costs in 2016 by $730 million from 2015-levels.
The company’s previous cost-reduction plan, launched under former CEO Ellen Kullman, had pegged cuts at $1.3 billion by the end of 2016 from 2013 levels.
Both DuPont