Dow Chemical reported on Wednesday a 73.4-percent rise in net profit to $982 million in the second quarter driven by record sales in emerging markets, and said it was optimistic for the rest of the year. The group made a net profit of 84 cents per share, higher than the figure of 81 cents expected on average by analysts. Sales rose by about 18.0 percent to $16.04 billion, the second-highest figure in the company\'s history.