US tobacco trading company Alliance One International reported a net loss of US$ 23.7 million, or US$ 0.27 per basic share for the third quarter ended 31 December 2006.

This compares to a net loss of US$ 22.9 million, or US$ 0.27 per basic share, in the year-ago quarter. The underlying net loss for the third quarter, which excludes market valuation adjustments for derivative financial instruments, discontinued operations and non-recurring items, was US$ 1.2 million, or US$ 0.01 per basic share, compared with a net loss of US$ 8.3 million, or US$ 0.10 per basic share for the previous year's quarter. (pi)