Nasdaq OMX Group on Wednesday said second-quarter earnings rose 81 per cent as it took advantage of the heightened volatility in capital markets and the diversification benefits of the merger between Nasdaq and OMX, which closed in February.

The exchange operator said net profit rose to $101.6m, or 48 cents per share up from from the $56.1m, or 39 cents a share earned in total by the two companies in the same period last year, before they merged.