PARIS, July 30, 2008 (AFP) - Shares in luxury products giant LVMH surged by 4,97 % to 71,41 euros early on Wednesday july 30th in response to a 7 % rise in first-half net profit, traders said.

Louis Vuitton men advertising campaign 2008

The group announced late on Tuesday that net profit had risen to 891 million euros (1.38 billion dollars) and that current operating profit had also risen by 7.0 percent from the equivalent figure last year to 1,541 billion euros.

This yielded a current operating margin, a measure of underlying profit to sales, of 20 percent, which the group said represented an increase.

Chief executive Bernard Arnault said that the results were "very good" and that growth was balanced between regions.

Analysts at Deutsche bank brokers described the results for the second quarter as "solid" and beyond expectations.