Leverkusen.  In the third quarter, the Bayer Group achieved a slight year-on-year increase in underlying earnings for the first time this year. "We are very pleased to have reversed the earnings trend despite the fact that many industries are still suffering from the economic crisis," said Management Board Chairman Werner Wenning when the interim report was published on Tuesday. "We are still adhering to our ambitious full-year forecast for the Bayer Group," he added.  Read more about Bayer being back on the uptrend.