Barra Massages Shareholders And Tries To Control Costs In Face Of Slow Profit Growth

Despite the fact that Barra Inc.'s profits continue to be flat, the vendor's stock price rose early this month following the release of a positive analyst's report and the publication of flattering story in the San Francisco Chronicle. Barra officials say they now hope that the spike, combined with beefed-up efforts to control costs, will contribute to the vendor's efforts to raise its profile among investors. Meanwhile, at a time when Reuters' Instinet Corp. is growing like gangbusters, Barra