Cola sees earnings drop as sales fall in US 16 July 2013 Last updated at 19:00 Beverage giant Coca-Cola has reported disappointing earnings in the second quarter, which executives partly blamed on a wet spring in the US. The world's largest beverage maker said profits fell 4% from the same period a year earlier. Shares fell 1.3% on the news as part of a larger stock market sell-off. Coca-Cola said it earned $2.68bn (£1.78bn), or 59 cents a share. In 2012, the figure was $2.79bn, or 61 cents a share. Although Coca-Cola mostly blamed the poor weather in North America for a drop in soft-drink sales, larger trends in the company's most established market might have affected earnings. Mayor Michael Bloomberg led a well-publicised effort to ban large soda drinks in New York City last year. Although the effort ultimately failed, it comes at a time when the health effects of consumption of large quantities of fizzy drinks are being examined. Coca-Cola has recently been trying to focus on promoting its sports drinks, as well as low-calorie drinks flavoured with sweeteners such as Splenda. Sales globally were hurt by weather as well, with flooding in Europe affecting sales. Africa, the Middle East and Russia were bright spots.