Sotheby's Returns to Profitability, But Not Without Cost

A sign that the high-end auction world is coming back up for some air after being stuck with every other company well below the surface due to the global financial meltdown? Or just some last minute shaving to appear much more profitable? Reports say that Sotheby’s has returned to profitability, jumping from big losses to big gains in just one year, and that its head, William Ruprecht, has returned to his former salary, having taken a voluntary cut last summer.