Despite the ongoing economic downturn, Google Inc. on Thursday said its profit climbed more than 18 percent in the second quarter ended on June 30.

The Internet giant earned US$1.48 billion in the quarter, compared with US$1.25 billion in the same period a year earlier.

The company's profit in the most recent quarter increased about4 percent from US$1.42 billion in the first three months this year.

However, as a reflection of the continued difficult economic conditions, Google saw its sales growth slowing.

Its revenues increased just 3 percent to US$5.52 billion over the year-ago period, down from the 6-percent growth in the first quarter this year.

Paid clicks to ads on Google sites rose about 15 percent over the same quarter of 2008, but representing a decrease of 2 percent from the previous quarter.

"Google had a very good quarter, especially given the continued macro-economic downturn," Eric Schmidt, the company's chief executive officer, said in a statement.

"These results highlight the enduring strength of our business model and our responsible efforts to manage expenses in a way that puts us in a good position for the economic upturn, when it occurs," he added.

(Xinhua News Agency July 17, 2009)