Exxon's record-smashing Q3 profit nearly matches Apple's

HOUSTON: Exxon Mobil Corp on Friday smashed expectations as soaring energy prices fueled a record-breaking quarterly profit, nearly matching that of tech giant Apple.

Its $19.66 billion third-quarter net profit far exceeded recently raised Wall Street forecasts as skyrocketing natural gas and high oil prices put its earnings within reach of Apple's $20.7 billion net for the same period.