Oil giant BP said record fuel prices and better refining margins had helped it to bank nearly £1 million an hour in profits.
BP posted profits of 3.94 billion US dollars (£2.14 billion) for the three months to September 30 and adopted a bullish tone when assessing the outlook for the rest of 2004.
Its performance was lifted by the sustained rise in oil prices due to the loss of production in the US following Hurricane Ivan, low inventories and limited spare capacity.
Oil prices averaged nearly $50 per barrel in October.
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