Rotterdam firm Hunter Douglas, which makes window coverings such as Luxaflex, booked net profit down sharply in first half of this year to $38m from $176.7m in the same year-earlier period.

Hunter Douglas blames the crisis on the US housing market and loss booked on its investment portfolio for the autumn.
Sales in the first half of this year were up 6% to $1.57bn.
The company declined to give a 2008 profit forecast.