Société Générale said Thursday that net profit more than doubled in the fourth quarter, helped by a capital gain from the spinoff of its asset-management unit, but the French bank cut its dividend for 2009 after risky asset charges ate into earnings.

France's second-largest bank by market value said it aims to improve its performance in 2010, when it expects hard-to-trade assets will do less damage to profits. SocGen is "confident of its ability to bounce back," said chief executive Frédéric Oudéa.