Shell profit falls short of forecast

Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe’s biggest energy company, said investment will increase after fourth-quarter profit missed analyst estimates on weaker US and Canadian fuel prices. Excluding one-time items and inventory changes, profit was $5.6 billion. That was below the $6.2 billion average estimate of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Net capital spending of about $33 billion this year compares with $30 billion in 2012.