Investing.com -- Tether purchased 14 tons of gold for its reserves during the three months ending in June, bringing its total holdings to 146 tons valued at $18.8 billion, according to the company's quarterly attestation released Thursday. The purchase marks a pickup in buying activity for the crypto company after it acquired 6 tons in the first quarter. Tether reported net operating profit of about $1.5 billion for the second quarter. The firm had posted net profit of $4.9 billion in the same period a year earlier. Related articlesTether adds 14 tons of gold in Q2 as buying speeds upBCA says time to buy gold as near-term headwinds fadeEuropean gas tumbles 9% as Middle East truce signals pull down energy down