The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on March 21 that it will be holding the “On-device AI Ultra-differential Challenge” launch ceremony at the Josun Palace Hotel in the Gangnam district of Seoul in collaboration with LG Electronics, Microsoft Korea, and Intel Korea. This event marks the begi
The 17-year trend of Japan’s persistent negative interest rates has come to an end, yet the market’s response remains tepid. This is attributed to assessments indicating difficulty in perceiving a full-fledged tightening. However, there are prospects suggesting that the yen may strengthen from the s
The online stock trading platform Webull, which is gaining popularity among global individual investors based on its commission-free policy, is entering the domestic securities market in Korea. Consequently, there are concerns that individual investors who currently invest in the U.S. stock market t
On March 19, the Anti-Corruption Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency conducted a search and seizure at the headquarters of KG Mobility (KGM) in Pyeongtaek City, Gyeonggi Province. The CEO of KGM, Jung Yong-won, and employees have been under investigation for embezzling com
Renault Korea Motors plans to invest 700 billion won to transform its Busan plant into a future car production base. Discussions are also underway with the French Renault Group headquarters to increase the investment scale to around 1.5 trillion won by 2027.On March 18, Renault Korea Motors exchange
Recently, there has been a trend where shareholder demands for increased shareholder returns have slightly subsided as proposals such as the retirement of repurchased stocks or dividend expansions were rejected at shareholder meetings. While companies have temporarily relieved the pressure by proact
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Express announced a consumer protection policy on March 14 that offers unconditional returns and refunds within 90 days for cross-border online purchases. Additionally, it has officially launched a customer service hotline and plans to invest about 1.5 trillion won o
The value of overseas construction orders to Korean contractors exceeded US$30 billion for the fourth year in a row in 2023. Korean builders’ target for 2024 is US$40 billion. They have been looking for opportunities in overseas markets as the Korean real estate market has been slumping for a long t
The U.S. Department of Defense is reported to have withdrawn a plan to support Intel with semiconductor subsidies of US$2.5 billion.According to Bloomberg on March 13, the Department of Defense held an informal meeting and decided to cancel the plan to support Intel with US$2.5 billion in subsidies.
Even after surpassing the “psychological resistance level” of 100 million won, bitcoin continues its upward trend in the domestic market.In particular, a phenomenon known as the “kimchi premium” is observed, where the price of bitcoin in the domestic market is forming higher than that in the U.S. ma
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at junsup@nhqv.com -- Ed.We believe that Samsung Life will boast the most visible and active shareholder return among major insurance plays. However, with such expectations already partially reflected, the firm’s share price
After a period of downturn due to economic slowdown and weak demand for IT devices, the display industry is on the verge of a significant rebound. The surge in demand for Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED)-based displays for laptops and tablets, driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) boom, is a
The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) intends to initiate an investigation into Temu and Shein, following its inquiry into AliExpress, the leading online shopping platform in China, regarding potential consumer harm.This comes as the indiscriminate onslaught of Chinese online shopping malls, levera
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at dongyang.kim@nhqv.com -- Ed.At AGMs this year, the spread of shareholder proposals, which has been a global trend since 2023, is to continue. As Korea’s dividend system improvements roll out in earnest, more companies are
Lotte Chemical is reportedly considering the sale of its Malaysian subsidiary Lotte Chemical Titan (LC Titan).According to industry sources on Mar. 6, Lotte Chemical is searching for potential buyers for LC Titan, including Korean and foreign petrochemical companies and large private equity funds (P
NPCore, a cybersecurity company specializing in network and endpoint security, recently conducted a cybersecurity workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in collaboration with its local partner, TechLab. The event, held on February 29th, was particularly timely, given the recent spate of cyber threats i
It has been confirmed that recent complaints from domestic consumers using China’s Alibaba shopping platform AliExpress have sharply increased.According to the response data on “the status of consumer consultations related to AliExpress-related complaints and damage compensation” received by the off
Point2 Technology announced on March 4 that it has raised US$23 million in Series B1 funding from Bosch Ventures and Molex.The company’s e-tube technology is 80% lighter and 50% less voluminous than traditional copper wire. Additionally, it can reduce power consumption and cost by 50% compared to op
HLB disclosed on March 4 that its board of directors has approved the issuance of 60 billion won in convertible bonds to domestic private equity funds and others. The primary purpose of this fundraising is to secure operational funds. Although the company currently holds over 65 billion won in cash
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced this year it will invest a total of 1.141 trillion won in research and development (R&D) for materials and components technology, focusing on creating a significant lead in advanced industries, stabilizing supply chains, and achieving carbon neutr