The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at hzl.lee@nhqv.com. -- Ed. We initiate coverage on Big Hit with a Buy rating and TP of W270,000, presenting the firm as our sector top pick. In our view, Big Hit should enjoy remarkable top-line growth and profitability expa
The Bank of Korea announced on Nov. 19 that South Korea’s external financial assets increased US$66 billion in three months to hit an all-time high of US$1,806.2 billion at the end of September this year. Of those assets, securities investment increased US$38.3 billion to US$632.6 billion. In the th
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at mj27@nhqv.com. -- Ed. Domestic F&B companies’ evolution into global players to hinge upon successful localization and M&AsOver the past few years, major domestic F&B companies have been turning their eyes to overseas marke
Park Keun-hee, CEO of CJ Logistics, issued a public apology on Oct. 22 and announced measures to prevent a recurrence of the tragic incident in which a courier working for the company is believed to have died of overwork. The most noticeable action is an increase in pre-delivery package sorting manp
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at sw.kang@nhqv.com. -- Ed. Last week, the US TB 30yr-10yr spread and the copper/gold ratio both rose, suggesting that expansionary fiscal expectations and rising inflation expectations are behind the recent rise in US TB yiel
People Power Party lawmaker Chung Jin-suk remarked on Oct. 21 that the South Korean government responded passively to Chinese courier companies that refused to handle BTS-related products. In response, South Korean Ambassador to China Jang Ha-sung said that he made a complaint to the Chinese governm
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics are using South Korean idol groups to promote their smartphones.After Samsung Electronics used the BTS in an ad for the Galaxy Z-Fold 2, LG Electronics started marketing its strategic smartphone the "LG Wing" with "SuperM," an idol group created by member music
The Chinese backlash against the recent Van Fleet Award acceptance speech of BTS is decreasing rapidly. The Chinese government appears to be coping with the situation with the backlash showing signs of backfiring.“We are watching media reports and online public opinions as to the issue,” Chinese For
BTS is causing controversy in China regarding a historical issue and South Korean companies using BTS for their ads in China are hiding BTS from the ads.On Oct. 7, BTS received the Van Fleet Award from the Korea Society, a U.S. non-profit organization. The award is in memory of U.S. General James Va
Samsung Electronics announced on Oct. 8 that consumers can now enjoy BTS’ “Dynamite” music video, the song that recently topped the Billboard chart, in Samsung TV retail stores around the world.The music video for ‘Dynamite’ reached 400 million views on YouTube after its release on Aug. 21. The vide
International credit rating agency Fitch Ratings has maintained South Korea’s credit rating and outlook at AA- and stable, respectively.The agency said on Oct. 6 that South Korea’s GDP growth rate for this year is estimated at negative 1.1 percent whereas the average of the other AA countries is neg
People Power Party lawmaker Choo Kyung-ho announced on Oct. 5 that the sum of government debt, public sector debt and pension liabilities was 2,198.1 trillion won last year, when the total household and corporate debts were 1,600.3 trillion won and 1,118 trillion won, respectively.The sum has increa
COVID-19 is a challenge that demands companies and governments address multiple dimensions that go beyond the pandemic's health implications. The Korean government, says Lee Kang-shin, chairman of the Incheon Chamber of Commerce & Industry, needs to come up with policies to help companies naviga
The author is an analyst of Shinhan Investment Corp. He can be reached at gwak81@shinhan.com. – Ed. Korean New DealThe Korean government, on July 14, announced its version of a “New Deal,” a comprehensive national development strategy aimed at lifting the domestic economy out of COVID-19 impact and
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at sw.kang@nhqv.com. -- Ed. Asset market volatility heightened last week in response to concerns over a pause in policy momentum amid the US presidential election. Given that it is difficult for additional policies to emerge o
NMC Health, the largest private company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which received US$120 million in syndicated loans arranged by Woori Bank, is on the verge of going bankrupt, according to media reports on Sept. 25.NMC Health was found to have reduced its debts from US$6.6 billion to US$2 bil
The Bank of Korea announced on Sept. 24 that the private-sector credit was equivalent to 206.2 percent of the nominal GDP of South Korea at the end of the second quarter of this year. The figure rose 5.2 percentage points in three months to an all-time high since records began in 1975.In the second
The authors are analysts of Shinhan Investment Corp. They can be reached at jwsung79@shinhan.com and hanny.lee@shinhan.com, respectively. -- Ed.IPO of Big Hit EntertainmentBig Hit Entertainment, the label behind the boy band BTS, is slated to go public next month. The growth strategy of the company,
K-pop’s popularity is skyrocketing in the United States and Japan in particular. At present, the number of those who twit K-pop content is the largest in the two countries and the number of twits of the same content is the largest in Thailand. BTS is the K-pop artist most frequently mentioned for th
Hyundai Motor has confirmed its plan to commercialize hydrogen trucks in the U.S. market in 2022. Amid growing suspicions surrounding the technological prowess of U.S. hydrogen carmaker Nicola, Hyundai Motor seems to be making a quick move to dominate the North American hydrogen commercial vehicle m