PITTSBURGH — A delegation from Brazil is visiting Pittsburgh to learn about the shale gas boom.

The group of Brazilian business and energy industry professionals had meetings Wednesday and today with state regulators, drilling companies, and members of the K&L Gates law firm. They also plan to visit a drilling site in western Pennsylvania.

Celia Feldpausch, the executive director of the Brazil Industries Coalition, said the delegation is interested in potential business deals with U.S. companies and in developing shale gas resources in Brazil. Feldpausch's group, based in Washington, D.C., represents the Brazilian private sector.

PITTSBURGH — Metals maker Allegheny Technologies' second-quarter net income slid 92 percent.Chairman, President and CEO Rich Harshman said in a statement Wednesday that soft economic conditions in Europe, weak U.S. economic growth and slowing growth in China, India and other developing economies continued to hurt demand and pressure prices.The Pittsburgh company earned $4.4 million, or 4 cents per share, for the three months ended June 30. Analysts predicted earnings of 11 cents per share, according to a FactSet poll. Revenue declined 16 percent to $1.14 billion from $1.36 billion.

DEARBORN, Mich. — Almost bankrupt last decade because it relied too heavily on selling big trucks and SUVs in North America, Ford is now making small and midsize cars at a profit and selling them across the globe.The second-largest U.S. automaker’s Asian operations earned a record quarterly profit of $117 million for the period that ended June 30.Sales also grew in South America, where second-quarter profit jumped to $151 million from $5 million a year ago. North America still contributed the bulk of Ford’s net income, which grew 18.5 percent to $1.23 billion.