Norsk Hydro quarterly net loss narrows

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Norway's Norsk Hydro /quotes/comstock/29r!nhy (NO:NHY 40.77, +0.27, +0.67%) said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter net loss narrowed to 569 million Norwegian kroner ($97.1 million), from 6.0 billion kroner recorded at the same point a year ago. Sales declined to 16.4 billion kroner, from 20.7 billion kroner last year. Higher realized aluminium prices were offset by weak alumina and trading results during the three month period. "We have seen global aluminium markets gradually improving since reaching bottom early last year, and we expect modest growth in demand in the first half of 2010. Still, the market situation continues to be demanding, and we remain cautious in our outlook for 2010," said CEO Svein Richard Brandtz?g.