From marketwatch.com: "HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- BHP Billiton Ltd. said its net income for the half-year fell by more than half, missing expectations by a wide mark, because of costs related to plant closures and impairment of assets as commodity prices slumped. Net income fell 57% to $2.6 billion, or 47 cents per share, in the six months ended Dec. 31, compared to $6 billion, or $1.07 per share a year earlier, BHP said in a statement Wednesday. Analysts on average had expected net income of $4.4 billion, according to Bloomberg News. Much of the decline was related to a write-down of $3.3 billion related to the closure of its Ravensthorpe nickel mine in Western Australia. The mine had been operational for eight months before the closure. Stripping out those costs, attributable profit was $6.1 billion, up slightly from a year earlier, but missing analyst forecasts of $6.9 billion."