Hochschild Mining first-half profit falls on lower silver prices

(Reuters) - Precious metals miner Hochschild Mining Plc reported lower first-half pretax profit on Wednesday, as a drop in the average price of silver led to lower group production.Hochschild's post-exceptional profit before income tax fell 23.5% to $29.5 million (£24.5 million) for the six months ended June 30, as the average price of silver fell 7%.Hochschild said its first-half had the second highest attributable production in the company's history with 245,325 gold equivalent ounces or..