The Linde Group saw an 11.0 percent increase in sales in the first nine months of the year to EUR 9.392 bn after adjusting for exchange rate effects, maintaining the good business performance it achieved in the first six months of the year. We also continued to improve our profitability, increasing our operating profit by 12.9 percent to EUR 1.910 bn if exchange rate effects are not taken into account. Compared with the prior year period, the operating margin improved by 50 basis points to 20.3 percent.

On the basis of reported figures, sales increased by 4.8 percent (2007: EUR 8.958 bn) and operating profit by 7.9 percent (2007: EUR 1.770 bn).

Earnings before taxes on income of EUR 796 m were lower than the figure for the comparable prior year period of EUR 1.109 bn. However, this is mainly due to non-recurring items of EUR 574 m in the first nine months of 2007 relating to the disposal of businesses. In the current year, Linde has made a profit on the disposal of businesses of EUR 59 m.

Earnings after tax for the Group were EUR 593 m (2007: EUR 764 m). Of this amount, earnings attributable to Linde AG shareholders were EUR 552 m (2007: EUR 723 m), giving earnings per share of EUR 3.29 (2007: EUR 4.48). Here too, the non-recurring items relating to the disposal of businesses should be taken into account when comparing the figures with those for the prior year. On an adjusted basis, i.e. after adjusting for the book profit on the disposal of the businesses and the effect of the purchase price allocation in the course of the BOC acquisition, earnings per share increased by 16.6 percent from EUR 3.55 to EUR 4.14.