The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at jiyoony@nhqv.com -- Ed.Even taking into account seasonality (3Q), we expect Cosmax to show encouraging non-consolidated sales growth for 3Q23. Noting valuation merit (versus cosmetics ODM peers), we maintain Cosmax as our
Samsung Electronics has decided to transition to a 200-layer NAND process at its NAND flash factory in Xi’an, China. The move to produce 236-layer products, which belong to the 8th generation of NAND, is seen as a strategic step to overcome a decline in performance due to sluggish global NAND demand
Worries have surfaced that South Korea’s steel industry, which relies heavily on blast furnaces, could face significant challenges amid speculation that the United States and the European Union (EU) are discreetly working on standards for an “Eco-friendly Steel Club” that may be advantageous to thei
South Korea has signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), marking its first such agreement with a Middle Eastern country and its 24th FTA overall.The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that Ahn Deok-geun and Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi concluded Comprehens
The United States has refrozen Korea’s payment for Iran’s crude oil exports that South Korea transferred to a Qatari bank as part of a prisoner swap deal between the United States and Iran.On Oct. 12 (local time), the U.S. government said that Iran will not be able to get its hands on US$6 billion t
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) inked a consortium agreement on Oct. 12 with Romania’s nuclear agency, SNN, based in Bucharest, along with Canada’s Candu Energy and Italy’s Ansaldo Nucleare, to collaboratively undertake the equipment improvement project for Romania’s Cernavoda Unit 1.The project,
KT&G is building a new tobacco factory in Kazakhstan with the aim of securing a strategic foothold for exports to Europe, Russia, and Central Asian nations.KT&G announced on Oct. 12 that it held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new factory in Almaty Province, Kazakhstan, on Oct. 11, attended by CEO
The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) announced that Iceland was selected as the safest and most peaceful country in the world with a score of 1.124 in the Global Peace Index (GPI), according to the New York Post on Oct. 1.The GPI quantifies peace by aggregating 23 items including social, poli
CJ Logistics is accelerating the development of a state-of-the-art logistics center in the United States.Korea Ocean Business Corporation recently held an investment review committee meeting and decided to invest US$61 million in the form of preferred shares in a special purpose company (SPC) to dev
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) exporting their products to Taiwan via Coupang have surpassed 12,000. Among the products sold in Taiwan, 70% are from Korean SMEs, indicating a potential increase in export volume through SMEs in the future.On Oct. 11, Coupang announced that as of the end of
Korea’s current account surplus reached US$4.81 billion in August, marking the fourth consecutive month of surplus. Although the goods balance posted the highest surplus in a year and five months, the surplus remained a recessionary one as imports fell more than exports. The Bank of Korea (BOK) fore
Expectations are rising that South Korean electric mobility companies might counteract the rapid market penetration of cheaper Chinese alternatives by next year. Particularly, South Korean SMEs, medium-sized businesses, and startups are strategizing to differentiate themselves from Chinese products
Lotte WellFood (formerly Lotte Confectionery) announced on Oct. 10 that its Indian subsidiary, LOTTE INDIA, will begin full-scale operations of the third production line of Lotte Choco Pie at its Chennai factory. An investment of approximately 300 billion won has been made to expand this line.Due to
The U.S. government has decided to indefinitely postpone export controls on equipment for Samsung Electronics and SK hynix’s semiconductor plants in China. While there’s some relief in the semiconductor industry, uncertainties over their China plants haven’t entirely vanished, making the incentive f
The U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS) has pointed out that the U.S. sanctions on 28-nm semiconductors have a strategic hole. There are also reports that large U.S. semiconductor manufacturers are lukewarm about cooperating with U.S. authorities, giving the United States unexpected difficulti
The price of virtual assets like Bitcoin surged in the first half of this year, leading to a 46 percent increase in the market capitalization of the domestic virtual asset market compared to the end of last year, according to a recent study. However, it is still at a significantly reduced level comp
Iranian funds, frozen in South Korea and later released, have once again become a topic of controversy. This is because the possibility was raised that the US$6 billion of Iranian funds, which had been held up in South Korea, were suspected to have been transferred to the Palestinian militant group
As the sole operator of nuclear power plants in the country, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has turned its attention towards revitalizing nuclear small and medium-sized enterprises which have been struggling with a shortage of projects. The initiative begins with the Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Pla
The ongoing armed conflict between Israel and the armed Palestinian faction, Hamas, has sent shock waves through the Middle East. Accordingly, major South Korean companies like Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor, which have a significant presence in the area, are closely monitoring the situation.
Medytox's lawsuit against Hugel at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) over botulinum toxin matters appears set to exclude one of its key issues: the strain dispute.According to industry sources on the 5th, during last month's evidence investigation procedure, the ITC ordered Medytox to su