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
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at ys.jung@nhqv.com -- Ed.International passenger traffic fell 11% m-m in September amid the ending of peak season effects. Cargo volume rose 4% m-m on higher demand for air freight. Intensifying fare competition (especially
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at sanghoonpure.cho@shinhan.com -- Ed.3Q23 OP to meet consensus at KRW396.2bn (-18.2% YoY)We now expect CJ CheilJedang to announce operating profit of KRW396.2bn (-18.2% YoY) on sales of KRW7.53tr (-6% YoY) for 3Q23, coming in line w
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at minjae.lee@nhqv.com -- Ed.Once Ulsan GPS starts operating in 2H24, SK Gas’s profitability is expected to grow one step further. And, profits at its existing business should remain around the 2022 level, thanks to increased
The governments of South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are holding an aviation meeting in Seoul on Oct. 12 and 13. This marks the first aviation meeting between the two countries in over four years.The main topic of discussion at the meeting is whether to increase the current allowance of
Amid increasing optimism about the semiconductor industry’s outlook, foreign investors have shown divergent strategies in the South Korean stock market this month, especially concerning major semiconductor players like Samsung Electronics and SK hynix. While investing over 260 billion won (US$193.31
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at minwoo.ju@nhqv.com -- Ed.With lithium prices approaching BEP, a downtrend in LGES’s ASPs should slow. And, led by likely production recoveries at US OEMs, LGES’s sales are primed to rebound from 4Q23 after bottoming out in
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at seungyeon.han@nhqv.com -- Ed.In November, J&J is expected to release phase II data for nipocalimab in the treatment of rheumatology. The firm has already released some of the data from its abstract for the ACR conference.
Korea’s economic slump is gradually easing thanks to a recovery in semiconductor production, a state-run research institute said.“The Korean economy has been experiencing a gradual easing of the economic slump, but external uncertainties still remain,” the Korea Development Institute (KDI) said in i
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jaemin.ahn@nhqv.com -- Ed.Following on from a narrowed operating loss in 3Q23, we expect Netmarble to turn to profit in both 4Q23 and 2024. Earnings should recover on the launch of a number of new global titles and Chinese
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jaemin.ahn@nhqv.com -- Ed.Although initial results for Lies of P were disappointing, sales volume seems steady. Attention should also be paid to new titles coming out in 2024. Recently, the share price has fallen excessive
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at kyuha.lee@nhqv.com -- Ed.Concerns over OLED shipments to North American client appear overblownLG Display (LGD)’s share price has recently tumbled on concerns over a possible delay in shipments of OLED panels for a new sma
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at kyuha.lee@nhqv.com -- Ed.LGE achieved market share expansion and margin improvement based on its competitiveness in the home appliance market. It also posted record-high profit margins at the VS division, exceeding expecta
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jooyh@nhqv.com -- Ed.Excluding the impact of exchange rates, Orion is continuing to enjoy a top-line growth trend in all four of its major market countries. Alongside manufacturing cost-to-sales ratio improvement, OP expan
The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has imposed a fine of 3 billion won (US$2.23 million) and issued a payment order against China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited (CSCECL), a Chinese state-owned construction company, for its failure to provide written subcontract agreements and withho
The size of alternative investments in overseas real estate by domestic financial firms has grown by 2 trillion won (US$1.48 billion) in the past year, according to recent findings. Concerns about potential losses for financial firms have arisen due to the downturn in the overseas real estate market
Beijing Hyundai, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Company and its Chinese partner, has lowered its asking price for the Chongqing factory by 30%.According to reports by Reuters and local Chinese auto media outlets on Oct. 9 (local time), Beijing Hyundai specified in the documents submitted to t
Lotte Chemical has sold off all of its plants producing general-purpose petrochemicals in China. General-purpose petrochemicals have become a marginal business for the company with deteriorated profitability due to aggressive expansion by Chinese companies.According to industry sources on Oct. 9, Lo
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
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.