NNA - The Swiss National Bank said on Thursday it posted a first quarter profit of 6.7 billion Swiss francs ($8.08 billion), as surging gold prices compensated for stock market declines and the rising Swiss franc.

Gold was the star performer for the SNB, registering a valuation gain of 12.8 billion francs in the three months to the end of March.

The central bank holds an unchanging amount of 1,030 tonnes of gold, whose value has shot up as dimming risk sentiment pushed investors into the precious metal.--Reuters

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