CHICAGO (AP) -- Two of America's oldest agricultural companies laid the foundation for a new $30 billion-a-year ag and food colossus Monday with the announcement that Bunge Ltd. is buying Corn Products International Inc. in a $4.4 billion stock deal.

While neither boasts a brand name universally known to consumers, the combination will vault White Plains, N.Y.-based Bunge into the Fortune 100 by adding Corn Products' sweeteners, starches and other ingredients to its portfolio of agribusiness, fertilizer, edible oil and milling products.

Bunge, which also agreed to assume $414 million of Corn Products' debt as part of the deal, hopes the acquisition will help provide a buffer against volatile commodity prices by branching into another area as well as a healthy cash flow.

The global market for starches and sweeteners alone is growing about 5 percent each year, and Corn Products has some of the biggest beer and food makers in the world as clients.

"Both of us look at this as an ag and food company," Sam Scott, chairman, president and CEO of Westchester, Ill.-based Corn Products International, said in an interview.

The news sent the companies' stocks in opposite directions. Shares of Corn Products rose $7.85, or 18.3 percent, to $50.75 after reaching a 52-week high of $54.96 earlier in the session. Bunge shares fell $11.47, or 9.4 percent, to $110.70, although remaining up more than 30 percent from a year ago.

ATLANTA (AP) -- UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, lowered its earnings expectations for the second quarter on Monday because of slowing U.S. economic growth and high fuel costs.

The Atlanta-based company said it expects earnings per share for the second quarter to be within a range of 83 cents to 88 cents, compared with the 97 cents to $1.04 the company originally anticipated.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial were expecting UPS earnings of 97 cents a share in the second quarter.

UPS, also known as United Parcel Service, said the slowing U.S. economy and record fuel prices have resulted in lower-than-expected U.S. package volume and reduced use of premium air products.

UPS' second quarter ends June 30. It will report its results for the three-month period on July 22.

UPS is able to pass higher fuel costs on to customers in the form of a fuel surcharge on shipments. However, the surcharge increases haven't kept pace with rapidly rising fuel prices.

In April, as part of its first-quarter earnings release, UPS lowered its earnings guidance for the year and projected the weak U.S. economy would continue to affect the company in the second quarter. It acknowledged Monday that the current quarter has been even tougher than it anticipated just a few