SHANGHAI, Apr. 5 -- A total of 680 Chinese mainland-listed firms which have unveiled annual results posted a 42.2 percent rise in collective profit for 2006 as China's economy continued to expand, industry data showed yesterday.

These firms achieved net income of 130.5 billion yuan (US$16.9 billion) last year, against 91.8 billion yuan in 2005, according to data compiled by the Shanghai Securities News and Wind Info Co.

Their total revenue hit 2.1 trillion yuan in 2006, up 21.6 percent from a year earlier, while dividends before tax reached 48.4 billion yuan, up 22.2 percent, according to the data.

Earnings at the mainland's 1,400-plus public companies would likely come in at more than 400 billion yuan for last year, an all-time record high, the Shanghai Securities News said, citing its own calculation.

The estimated profit figure compares with 246.8 billion yuan for 2005, according to Wind Info, a Shanghai-based financial-data provider.

China's economy jumped 10.7 percent last year to 20.94 trillion yuan on blistering growth in investments and exports, a boom that especially benefited industry bellwether companies.