Other income was HK$23.6 million (US$3.0 million), an increase of 159.3% from HK$9.1 million in the second quarter of 2018. The rise was primarily due to the increase of underwriting fee income and enterprise public relations service charge income.
Costs
Total costs were HK$63.8 million (US$8.2 million), an increase of 5.6% from HK$60.4 million in the second quarter of 2018.
Brokerage commission and handling charge expenses were HK$24.3 million (US$3.1 million), an increase of 20.9% from HK$20.1 million in the second quarter of 2018. The rise was primarily due to the increase in trading volume, which was in line with the Company’s brokerage commission income.
Interest expenses were HK$18.8 million (US$2.4 million), a decrease of 21.3% from HK$23.9 million in the same period of 2018. The decrease was primarily because the Company had fully repaid funds borrowed from other parties by the end of the first quarter of 2019.
Processing and servicing costs were HK$20.7 million (US$2.6 million), an increase of 25.5% from HK$16.5 million in the second quarter of 2018. The rise was primarily due to the increase in both market information and data fees and cloud service fees as the Company continued to expand market data service and enhance infrastructure.
Gross Profit
Total gross profit was HK$196.1 million (US$25.1 million), an increase of 55.9% from HK$125.8 million in the second quarter of 2018.
Gross margin was 75.5%, compared with 67.6% in the second quarter of 2018. The rise was primarily due to greater operating leverage as a result of the Company’s larger scale and improved operating efficiency.
Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses were HK$144.9 million (US$18.6 million), an increase of 66.6% from HK$87.0 million in the second quarter of 2018.
Research and development expenses were HK$63.7 million (US$8.2 million), an increase of 82.5% from HK$34.9 million in the second quarter of 2018. The rise was primarily due to the continued increase in research and development headcount to support the Company’s business growth.
Selling and marketing expenses were HK$42.3 million (US$5.4 million), an increase of 45.9% from HK$29.0 million in the second quarter of 2018. The rise was primarily due to higher branding and marketing spending in the second quarter of 2019.