Earnings roundup: Sears, Staples

Among the earnings stories for Thursday, Nov. 18, from The Associated Press:

— Sears Holdings Corp.'s third-quarter loss nearly doubled, dragged down by weak revenue at its long-suffering Sears chain, hurt by poor sales of appliances and clothing.

— Staples Inc. reported its third-quarter net income rose 7 percent despite only a small increase in revenue as the company gained new small-business customers and clamped down on expenses.

— Stein Mart Inc. reported a slight nudge up in its net income up for the third quarter as more shoppers came to its stores and it kept its costs down.

— Shares of DryShips Inc. headed higher …