The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority held an MOU signing ceremony on April 6.It was attended by Authority Commissioner Kim Jin-yong, SUNY Korea President Arthur H. Lee, George Mason University Korea Dean Robert Matz, Ghent University Global Campus President Han Tae-joon, Utah Asia Campus Chief A
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jooyh@nhqv.com -- Ed.If stripping out high-base effects related to self-testing kits, we estimate that BGF Retail’s OP improved 18% y-y in 1Q23. With the firm’s shares now trading at a 2023E P/E of 14.1x, valuation burden h
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at jiyoony@nhqv.com -- Ed.F&F’s 1Q23 earnings are likely to arrive short of expectations due to slowing domestic consumption and inventory depletion in China. However, with SSSG in China surpassing the 20%-level in March, we
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jaemin.ahn@nhqv.com -- Ed.We look forward to change of NCSOFT. Preparations are underway to reduce its sales portion for MMORPG titles (which has served as a disadvantage) and its domestic-centered business structure. If th
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at esshim@nhqv.com -- Ed.As a B2B SaaS company, BusinessOn started by offering electronic tax invoice solutions and now covers almost all business activities. Backed by the client network of its Smartbill service, the firm is
The author is an author of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at pk.park@nhqv.com -- Ed.Since end-2022, the appeal of growth stocks has elevated, whereas large-cap healthcare stocks (S&P500 Healthcare Index), which outperformed the index significantly as defensive plays throughout 2022, h
Mercedes-Benz overtook BMW in March, reclaiming the top spot in the Korean import car market.The number of newly registered imported cars reached 23,840 in Korea in March. This represented a decrease of 4.3 percent compared to the same period of 2022, according to the Korea Automobile Importers & Di
HD Hyundai Construction Equipment is drawing much attention as it starts solar power generation in India and China. In order to attain RE100, its overseas plants are procuring electricity on their own through solar power generation. RE100 is a global corporate renewable energy initiative bringing to
Samsung Electronics’ Foundry Business Division has started volume production of next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) chips in earnest, starting with foundry orders from Korean fables companies. Thanks to the growing AI chatbot craze fueled by the popularity of ChatGPT, the AI semiconductor m
As a world-leading consumer electronics company, LG not only innovates to make life better for all, but also to invent completely new lifestyles. But for the company to accomplish its ambitious goals, it requires its partners from around the world to help in its pursuit of superior technologies and
China is predicted to clamp down on the export of rare-earth element (REE) magnet manufacturing technologies and techniques. Experts point out that supply from alternative sources needs to be increased without delay with such magnets in wide use in various industries, ranging from smartphones and ai
It has been found that the U.S. government put the brakes on Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power’s plan to build a nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic.According to industry sources, KHNP reported information to the U.S. Department of Energy on Dec. 23 last year in order to get a permit to bid. The dep
The Korean shipbuilding industry is moving closer to achieving this year’s order-taking target based on stable orders. Korean shipbuilders are concentrating on boosting profitability by selectively winning orders for liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered carriers, which are regarded as high-value ship
LG Energy Solution will seek lithium hydroxide production in Morocco with a Chinese company. Morocco is a country that has signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States. The North African nation also has a logistical advantage as a bridgehead to the European market.However, if the Unite
The Financial Services Commission decided to change regulations related to foreign bank branches’ won loan-to-deposit ratios so that they can expand corporate loans and competition with commercial banks can be promoted.According to the new regulations, domestic banks and foreign bank branches with w
The Bank of Korea announced on April 5 that South Korea’s foreign exchange reserves increased US$780 million to US$426.07 billion last month.The U.S. dollar depreciated last month, when the bankruptcy of Silicon Valley Bank caused more uncertainties and expectations for slower interest rate hikes in
The Japanese government announced on March 31 that a semiconductor manufacturing equipment export ban would be implemented in July. The ban will be applied to 23 types of equipment used for advanced chip manufacturing. Although targets were not specified, it is highly likely that the ban is to isola
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced on April 5 that a short-range air-to-air missile (AIM-2000) for testing purposes was successfully separated from an armed KF-21 during its flight and store separation test.Earlier, on March 28, the administration tested two KF-21s. The first s
Hyundai Motor Group (Hyundai Motor and Kia Corp.) ranked third overall in the U.S. electric vehicle market in the first quarter of this year. Its competitors are rapidly expanding their share with the introduction of the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).Hyundai Motor and Kia sold a combined 14,703
Following the deployment of the Cheonmoo, a multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) produced by Hanwha Aerospace, Saudi Arabia has confirmed that it has also deployed LIG Nex1’s Bigung, a low-cost guided imaging rocket (LOGIR). An increase in arms exports has significantly expanded the percentage of ex