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The London Stock Exchange (LSE) group has reported a 24 per cent rise in first-half operating profits.

In a statement today the world's number four equity exchange said its operating profit for the six months to September 30th increased to £114.7 million.

Basic earnings per share also climbed by 48 per cent to 35.7p, on revenues up 24 per cent to £203.1 million.

The LSE said its first-half results reflected strong performances across its divisions, particularly in broker services.

Trading on the LSE's SETS electronic order book has continued to grow since the launch of the exchange's new TradeElect trading platform in June.

SETS volumes increased by 77 per cent over the first-half, to 555,000 transactions per day.

The LSE's information services unit also increased the number of terminals receiving real-time market data by 17,000 to 126,000 year-on-year, including a 12,000 increase in the number of professional users to 103,000.

Operating costs also increased as expected over the first-half, rising by eight per cent to £88.4 million. The growth was attributed to higher spending in a number of areas as the LSE expands its operations.

The LSE said its strong performance to date, coupled with the expected contribution from the newly acquired Borsa Italiana in the second-half, mean it is confident of reporting a good outcome for the full year.

Italian exchange Borsa Italiana was bought by the LSE in October and therefore today's results do not include details of its recent performance.

Commenting on the impact of the recent deal, LSE chief executive Clara Furse said: "The integration of the Borsa Italiana business has started well, to create further opportunities and efficiencies for the market, and in so doing deliver increased value for shareholders."

The LSE said it was raising the value of its interim dividend payment by 33 per cent to 8p, reflecting its first-half results and confidence in the future growth prospects of the enlarged group.