Malaysian oil-and-gas company Petroliam Nasional Bhd. on Thursday reported a 22 percent rise in net profit for the first half of its financial year. The state-owned firm, commonly referred to as Petronas, said its net profit for the six months ended Sept. 30 climbed to 24.66 billion ringgit (US$6.80 billion; ¤5.28 billion) from 20.29 billion ringgit in the same period a year earlier. Revenue rose 9.9 percent on year to 88.85 billion ringgit (US$24.50 billion; ¤19.02 billion). Petronas, which doesn't release quarterly earnings figures, didn't provide reasons for the better performance or a forecast for its future outlook, the Associated Press reported.
