PROFIT at Chinese mainland's industrial companies maintained solid growth in the first eight months of the year as an investment boom bolstered earnings at coal and oil companies.

Cumulative net income jumped 20.7 percent on-year to 864.3 billion yuan (US$107 billion) in the January-August period, slightly up from a 20.6 percent gain in the first seven months, the National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement yesterday. Revenue soared 27.7 percent to 15 trillion yuan.

Coal mining profit soared 80 percent from a year earlier during the eight months to August 31 while oil extractors chalked up a 76 percent increase in net income, the statement said.

Electricity generators' profit edged up 3.1 percent in the eight months while oil refiners posted a loss of 8 billion yuan. Steelmakers' profit added 28 percent, down from 34.7 percent from in the first seven months.

Telecom companies experienced a profit drop of 6.5 percent while manufacturers of construction materials saw their net income dipped 14.8 percent.