The bumps are more like craters. The pendulum isn't going to swing the other way soon. For Monsanto executives, investors' uncertainty would be worse than bad results. But the company's financial returns have been decent. Third-quarter results are scheduled to be released Oct. 21.
Some numbers remain troubling.
The huge debt is due to Monsanto's dramatic spending for seed companies last year. The acquisition has been tied up by a Justice Department review. The American Home merger would have provided a big financial cushion for these transactions. But when the merger died Oct. 13, Monsanto moved quickly to shore up its finances. Monsanto's credit ratings remained virtually unchanged.