Hindalco's domestic biz fires up Q2 earnings, net profit rises 18%

Driven by strong upstream and downstream domestic aluminium sales, Aditya Birla Group's metals flagship Hindalco Industries on Friday reported a better-thanexpected revenue and profitability.

- Dipali Banka & Abhishek Law

Its net profit rose 18.4% quarter-on-quarter (q-o-q) to ₹4,741 crore for July-September, while revenue was up 2.8% to ₹66,058 crore.

The jump in profitability, driven by a higher inventory drawdown-from ₹3,080 crore to ₹1,644 crore-released about ₹1,436 crore in working capital, aiding cash flows and margins. It underscored the company's abil-