Cisco beats estimates

Cisco Systems Inc.’s second-quarter earnings and sales exceeded Wall Street expectations as businesses around the world loosened their purse strings and bought more networking equipment.

For the three months ended Jan. 24, Cisco earned $724 million, or 10 cents per share, compared with $991 million, or 14 cents per share in the same period last year. Analysts were expecting the San Jose, Calif.-based company to earn 17 cents per share.

Aviation

Delta Air Lines plans to create sexier uniforms

Cash-strapped Delta Air Lines has ordered up a makeover of its employee uniforms and hired a big-name designer who promises a classier — and in some cases, sexier — look for flight attendants, airport agents and other workers.

The carrier said Tuesday that designer Richard Tyler, whose dresses have been worn by stars such as Julia Roberts, Heather Locklear and Jamie Lee Curtis, will be overseeing the uniform change.

The potentially expensive move comes amid months of cost-cutting initiatives at Delta, which has lost more than $3 billion in three years and laid off 16,000 employees since the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

Andrea Taylor, a Delta flight attendant and union advocate from New York, said she had concerns about money being spent on new uniforms in light of pay and benefit cuts.

Toys

Barbie changes slated

Mattel Inc.’s fourth-quarter profit rose 15 percent as international sales and favorable currency exchange rates offset weak domestic sales for the world’s largest toy maker.

The company also cautioned investors Tuesday of challenging times ahead in toyland and promised changes to invigorate its brands, including Barbie, pictured above in Gregory’s Toys in Los Angeles.

Mattel reported net income of $213.9 million, or 49 cents per share, in the quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with $186.1 million, or 42 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.

This year, Mattel will emphasize making Barbie more contemporary to better reflect current youth culture.

Markets

Wall Street slows amid ricin concerns

Stocks stalled for a second straight session Tuesday, this time because of renewed terrorism fears after the discovery of the toxic powder ricin forced the closure of all Senate buildings in the nation’s Capitol.

With few buyers and sellers in the market, trading was volatile and the major indexes alternated between gains and losses, ending the day fractionally higher.

The Dow Jones industrial average ended the day up 6.00, or 0.1 percent, at 10,505.18.

The broader gauges also were narrowly higher.