NEW YORK (AP) — American Express reported a 16 percent drop in profits from a year earlier, missing analysts' estimates, as the credit card company was hurt by higher expenses and remains under pressure from the strong U.S. dollar. The average estimate of analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.31 per share. American Express has faced significant challenges all year following the fallout from its announced breakup with Costco, the company's largest co-branded credit card program, and the strong U.S.