BHP Billiton has announced it had a record half-year of production for petroleum and iron ore, and also set quarterly records for alumina and nickel yields.

The company said government stimulus measures have helped a return to normalised global trade, with most key indicators across developed economies showing improvement.

But BHP warned that it expects a degree of volatility in the short-term outlook for its commodities. The impact in China of measures to control loan growth could serve as another drain, BHP said.

BHP stock has grown 0.42% today to $43.49, after falling by at least 0.3% since Friday.