The Supreme Court of Korea has justified the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC)’s decision to punish Citibank and JPMorgan Chase for allegedly colluding to bid on a currency swap contract. The ruling means that if a bidder cooperates with another participant during a bidding process to agree on the
Korea has more than 40,000 imported cars worth more than 200 million won registered as company vehicles. Among them, nearly 8,000 were to the tune of over 300 million won per car. On the other hand, the number of imported cars under 50 million won has descended.The nation had 40,483 imported cars wo
While international oil prices continue their soaring ascent, approaching the US$100 mark, the fortunes of the refining and petrochemical industries are diverging.According to industry sources on Sept. 12, the average price of Dubai crude oil, which serves as the basis for the domestic crude oil imp
As three groups – LX International, a consortium led by Harim, and Dongwon Industries – were selected as potential candidates for HMM’s acquisition and has begun due diligence process for two months, the industry is already witnessing negative speculation.The uncertainty surrounding HMM’s management
The large-scale imports of Chinese-made vehicles and batteries is expected to have a significant impact on the domestic car market and parts industry in Korea. The increase in Chinese imports can be attributed to competitive pricing, driven in part by rising raw material costs.Experts argue that whi
South Korea’s semiconductor industry is focusing on improving its financial health in the second half of the year, pivoting around High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) for DRAM and reducing NAND output.On Sept. 12, the semiconductor sector anticipates that DRAM prices will cease their decline and enter a sig
Seo Jung-jin, chairman of Celltrion Group, met with foreign investors and institutional partners to present the blueprint for the group’s merger and its future vision. On Sept. 11 (local time) in New York, Chairman Seo attended the “21st Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Conference” where he had a di
South Korea and China’s shipbuilding industries are fiercely competing for next-generation eco-friendly methanol-fueled ships.According to foreign media reports on Sept. 11, the Brazilian mining company Vale is proceeding with a project to order up to 12 very large ore carriers (VLOCs) powered by me
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at kyuha.lee@nhqv.com -- Ed.Huawei's new smartphone is receiving strong market attention as the firm has succeeded in developing an advanced in-house chip despite US sanctions. Also, there is a possibility of a slowdown in iP
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jaemin.ahn@nhqv.com -- Ed.Compared with April, Hong Kong and Singapore investors’ outlook toward the Internet sector has improved considerably. We anticipate AI-related momentum and earnings recovery at Internet firms. In
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at kyeongkeun.kang@nhqv.com -- Ed.Occupying the top spot in the domestic CO2 product market, Taekyung Chem stands to benefit from deteriorating CO2 product supply. As the firm is expected to enjoy robust earnings growth follo
It has been revealed that the import value of luxury handbags priced at over 2 million won (US$1,496) has increased by nearly fourfold in just four years. During the same period, the import value of luxury watches has also seen an increase of nearly double.According to data obtained by Representativ
Despite the slowing growth of the domestic electric vehicle market, sales of imported brands have increased.According to the new registration statistics from the Korea Imported Car Association (KAIDA) on Sept. 10, the number of imported electric vehicles sold in the domestic market from January to A
Hanmi Pharmaceutical has invested US$7 million to secure 670,000 shares in Canadian biotech firm Aptose Biosciences. According to pharmaceutical industry sources on Sept. 8, Hanmi Pharmaceutical announced its decision to acquire 668,449 shares of Aptose through a stock purchase agreement. This follo
Korea’s current account posted a surplus for the third consecutive month in July, but it was a recessionary surplus as imports fell more than exports. In particular, a surge in overseas travel led to a larger deficit in the travel account, making the size of the service account deficit 36 times larg
Last year, due to the surge in demand for electric vehicles (EVs), prices of core battery minerals like lithium and nickel reached a peak. However, they have been on a decline recently. Battery cathode material companies that purchased these minerals when they were expensive are now facing challenge
OCI Holdings is anticipated to enjoy long-term benefits resulting from the United States’ intensified sanctions on China’s polysilicon. There are only three non-Chinese polysilicon manufacturers globally, and OCI Holdings is one of them in Korea.According to sources in the solar energy industry on S
Kia’s flagship model, the EV9, is struggling in the domestic market just three months after its launch.According to industry sources on Sept. 7, Kia announced on Sept. 1 that during the recent period it sold 408 units of the EV9 in the domestic market, a decline of over 67% compared to July. In its
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at jinmyung.lee93@shinhan.com -- Ed.Market correction nearing an endHyosung TNC shares enjoyed a rally early this year on hopes for China’s economic reopening and robust earnings, but pared all their gains during the steep correction
Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, who orchestrates Hanwha’s solar power business and projects, has succeeded in securing a polysilicon supply chain in the North American market. Experts regard this as the final piece of the puzzle for the completion of the Solar Hub Project, the largest sola