Mon Nov 16, 7:46 AM ET

FILE - In this Aug. 17, 2009 file photo, men leave a Lowe's store with a supply of lumber in New York. Profit fell 30 percent at Lowe's Cos. in the third quarter Monday, Nov. 16, 2009, as customers continued to delay large purchases amid a weak economy. But the home-improvement retailer says some of the hardest hit home markets are stabilizing. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, file)

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