The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. She can be reached at sunmi.kim@shinhan.com -- Ed.Strong top-line drives earnings surprise & annual forecast revisionHyundai Engineering & Construction posted sales of KRW8.5tr and operating profit of KRW250.9bn for 1Q24, beating consensus estimates b
Despite a sluggish construction industry, corporate sentiment in the economy has rebounded slightly for the first time in three months, attributed to the recovery in semiconductor exports.According to the survey results of the Business Survey Index (BSI) and Economic Sentiment Index (ESI) for March
Pulmuone's Museum Kimchikan announced on the 24th that it will expand the number of kimchi experience programs for foreign visitors who want to experience Korean kimchi and kimjang culture from the existing 2 to 4 starting this month.As the number of foreign visitors interested in experiencing kimch
South Korea’s current account remained in surplus for the ninth consecutive month thanks to strong semiconductor and automobile exports.According to provisional statistics on the balance of payments released by the Bank of Korea (BOK) on March 8, the nation’s current account surplus stood at US$3.05
The author is an analyist for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at junsup@nhqv.com -- Ed.HGI’s 2023 dividend announcement fell somewhat short of market expectations. However, if sufficient profits available for dividend are secured through system improvements, an expansion of shareholder
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at hzl.lee@nhqv.com -- Ed.Excluding losses at YG Investment, YG Ent’s 4Q23 results met our expectations. BabyMonster’s first debut album, which is to feature the return of main member Ahyeon, is to be released on Apr 1. We e
South Korea’s exports in February of this year increased by 4.8 percent compared to the previous year, continuing the trend of “export growth” for the fifth consecutive month. Particularly noteworthy is the semiconductor exports, which recorded the highest growth rate in six years and four months. A
CJ Logistics announced on Feb. 22 that it has established an integrated logistics center for the globally renowned shoe brand Crocs in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province.Spanning an area of 20,000 square meters, the new facility can handle up to 50,000 boxes per day, doubling the capacity compared to the pre
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at sw.kang@nhqv.com -- Ed.While Secretary Yellen's key goal in 2023 was to secure TGA cash despite a massive fiscal deficit, the one for 2024 is to be improving the fiscal balance by using the tax revenue surplus. This implie
The government has announced its plan to expand the global Korean cuisine industry to a scale of 300 trillion won by 2027. The strategy involves increasing the number of overseas Korean restaurants to 15,000 and more than tripling the number of Michelin-starred Korean restaurants compared to the cur
Alipay+ announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) on January 24 to together revitalize inbound tourism and ensure a more convenient and seamless checkout experience for international tourists visiting in the country.Under the MOU, the
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at yk.choi@nhqv.com -- Ed.We lower our TP on Hyosung TNC to W440,000 to reflect both a slower-than-expected spandex industry recovery and underperforming fiber division earnings. But, we still see clearly improved fundamental
The author, Hyungcho Chung, is the founder and CEO of Scomot -- Ed.What Is the Ishango Bone?The Ishango Bone is an ancient tool that is considered to be one of the oldest known calculators in the world. It was found in the Ishango region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and is estimated to be aro
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at minwoo.ju@nhqv.com -- Ed.Near-term earnings are likely to remain tepid at LGES due to ASP decline and fixed cost burden resulting from low operating rates. As such earnings weakness has been foreseen from 2023, however, it
The Korean government will increase an influx of foreign workers to industrial sites and rural areas suffering from labor shortages in 2024 to more than 260,000 from 170,000 in 2023 in response to the Korea’s population crisis and labor shortage, according to the Korean Government’s Economic Policy
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at ldh@sinhan.com -- Ed.HD Hyundai Electric is expected to have earned sales of KRW844bn (+24% YoY) and operating profit of KRW100.9bn (+97% YoY) in 4Q23, beating consensus estimates by 6% and 14%, respectively. Operating margin like
Chef Jimyung Lee of Park Hyatt Seoul, celebrated for his creativity and artistry, and Chef Narae Kim of Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme, named the Best Pastry Chef of the Year by the French restaurant guide Gault & Millau, will jointly present "Four Hands Dessert: Taste of Seoul and Paris" on the top floor
Last month witnessed a turnaround in domestic production and consumption with an increase, while investments declined for the second consecutive month.According to the “Industrial Activity Trends for November 2023” report released by Statistics Korea on Dec. 28, overall industrial production, exclud
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at bk@nhqv.com -- Ed.In 2023, an inflection point for the stock market was reached reflecting the differing stances taken by the Fed and market participants. Recently, the Fed has begun looking ahead toward lowering interest
The number of babies born in October this year has dropped by over 8% compared to the previous year, setting a new record low. With this trend, there are concerns that the total fertility rate for the current fourth quarter from October to December may fall to the 0.6 range.According to population t