Americans may be—gasp—brewing their own coffee: The financial crisis is pummeling Starbucks, which today reported fourth-quarter net income fell 96 percent, to $5.4 million, or 1 cent a share. The Seattle-based coffee giant fell 2.9 percent on the Nasdaq late today after predicting a bleak 2009, with earnings per share forecast between 71 and 90 cents. Sales at stores open at least 13 months declined 8 percent, belying CEO Howard Schultz’s suggestion last month that same-store sales could have hit rock bottom. “There is only so much they can do internally without the economy getting better,” Walter Todd, a principal at Greenwood Capital Associates LLC, said today in a Bloomberg Radio interview. The company has already announced plans to cut 13,000 jobs.
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