Daimler's Mercedes sales drive higher but charges put brakes on profit

STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - Daimler reported a 64% fall in 2019 net profit, its largest drop in a decade, despite record high Mercedes-Benz sales as CEO Ola Kaellenius signed off on more than 5 billion euros (£4.2 billion) in legal and restructuring charges.Shares in the German automaker rose 2% after the earnings which had been flagged in preliminary figures on Jan. 22.Mercedes retained its title as the world's top-selling premium automaker but net profit fell to 2.7 billion euros from 7.6..