Unhealthy charge from Accenture

Consulting firm Accenture said quarterly net profit fell 67 per cent to US$69.7 million ($116 million), surprising investors with a US$450 million charge for losses it expects on building a computer system to help modernise the British health-care system.

The company's shares tumbled 8 per cent after it announced the charge on contracts with the UK National Health Service. "The NHS contract is a problem. The magnitude is a surprise," said Rod Bourgeois, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein.