Boliden's second-quarter operating profit rose unexpectedly, to 1.80 billion crowns (159.36 million pounds) from 1.54 billion a year earlier, far above the 1.33 billion mean forecast in a Refinitiv poll.

"A strong quarter from which we take great satisfaction, having achieved stable production and adeptly handled the challenges related to Covid-19," CEO Mikael Staffas said in a statement.

(Reporting by Johannes Hellstrom, editing by Anna Ringstrom)