Lufthansa surprises with earnings jump in 3q

German airline Lufthansa on Wednesday reported a sharp rise in earnings in the third quarter, but stayed cautious for the full year, saying earnings would be \"moderate\". Lufthansa said in a statement its bottom-line net profit soared by 30 percent to 642 million euros ($832 million) in the period from July to September. Analysts had been expecting a drop of as much as 40 percent. Operating profit rose by 6.2 percent to 648 million euros on a 6.2-percent increase in revenues to 8.312 billion euros. Nevertheless, the carrier said it was still pencilling in \"moderate operating profit for the whole business year, the level of which will depend on continuedly volatile external factors.\"