BHP Billiton Ltd. surpassed market expectations with a high first-half profit Wednesday, however, sounded notes of caution about the short-term outlook for commodities demand.

"It appears that stimulus measures that supported the recovery have not fully addressed structural issues such as weak labor markets and excess production capacity in developed economies", the miner said.

The global miner reported its net profit for the six months ended Dec. 31 as $6.14 billion, more than double the $2.62 billion the miner reflected the previous year.

While, the net profit excluding exceptional items witnessed a 7% fall compared with the previous year to $5.7 billion from $6.13 billion in the prior year, beating average analyst speculation of $5.1 billion according to a poll of analysts by the company.

Also the company witnessed its revenue in the half to slip by 17.5% to $24.58 billion from $29.78 billion in the period a year earlier and an interim dividend of 42 cents a share, in line with analyst expectations and up on the 41 cents it paid last year.

Commodity markets would be largely dependent on Chinese and Indian demand, the company said, and monetary tightening in China could have an impact.

BHP shares gained 0.1 percent to A$39.88 at the 4:10 p. m. Sydney time close on the Australian stock exchange. They've declined 7.5 percent this year.