Hermes International SCA, the Paris luxury-goods producer, reported Tuesday a 55% surge in first-half net profit, buoyed by strong sales in Asia. “The strong margin performance by Hermes and its continued optimistic outlook provide a strong read-across for the rest of the sector and indicate that the luxury consumer is less affected by concerns over an economic slowdown than generally feared,” said Dennis Weber, analyst at Evolution Securities, in a note to clients. – from MarketWatch