HANNOVER (dpa-AFX) - The insurance group Talanx (HDI) is expecting more profit in the current year following unexpectedly good business. The surplus is now expected to reach "significantly more" than 1.5 billion euros instead of over 1.4 billion, as the MDax-listed group surprisingly announced in Hanover on Monday evening. For the first nine months, the Executive Board expects a profit of more than 1.25 billion euros, mainly thanks to a "strong operating result" in primary insurance. The news was well received on the financial market: In after-hours trading on the Tradegate platform, the Talanx share rose by around four and a half percent compared with the Xetra closing price.

Talanx is active as a primary insurer in Germany and large parts of the world with its main brand HDI. The Group also owns a good half of the shares in Hannover Re, the world's third-largest reinsurer./stw/ngu