US: Lower sales and production volumes reduced Owens Corning’s earnings in the first quarter of 2019 although it said higher prices partially compensated for this. The net sales for its insulation business fell by 1% year-on-year to US$591m in the first quarter of 2019 from US$596m in the same period in 2018. Its earnings before interest and taxation dropped by 53% to US$15m from US$32m. The company’s overall sales grew slightly but earnings fell.