Macquarie's commodities unit strength lifts annual profit to record high

(Reuters) - Australia's Macquarie Group on Friday posted a 10.1% rise in full-year profit to log another record year, as robust trading income from supply and demand woes in North American energy markets boosted profits from its commodities arm.

The Ukraine war and unpredictable weather in North America have turned Macquarie's oil, gas and power exchanging unit into a strong profit-making segment, even if prices fall, due to elevated risk management levels and improved trading.

The Sydney-based firm's top profit-generating arm, the Commodities and Global Markets segment, posted a 54% jump in profit contributions compared to last year.

"Macquarie remains well-positioned to deliver superior performance in the medium term due to its diverse business mix across annuity-style and markets-facing businesses," said Shemara Wikramanayake, CEO of Macquarie Group.

The financial conglomerate's profit attributable for the year ended March 31 came in at A$5.18 billion ($3.47 billion), up from A$4.71 billion a year ago, beating a Visible Alpha consensus estimate of A$4.96 bln.

It also bumped up its final dividend to A$4.50 per share from A$3.50 per share a year earlier.

($1 = 1.4943 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Roushni Nair and Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Arun Koyyur)