As the won-dollar exchange rate approaches its peak of the year, the stock prices of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors, the leading beneficiaries of the weak won, are taking a step back. Despite posting their highest-ever quarterly earnings in the second quarter, the lingering effects of an economic slow
With Nvidia, a leading artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor company, announcing surprising financial results, warmth is spreading among domestic semiconductor companies. This is due to the fact that Samsung Electronics and SK hynix hold a dominant position in the high bandwidth memory (HBM) ma
Samsung Electronics is partnering with global luxury brand Thom Browne again to market a limited edition of its foldable phone, the Galaxy Z5, against Apple’s iPhone 15 series.According to industry sources on Aug. 24, Samsung Electronics will release Thom Brown editions of the Galaxy Z Fold5 and the
SK innovation announced on Aug. 24 that it has decided to increase the capital in BlueOval SK, a joint venture with Ford in the U.S.The capital increase amounts to 9.823 trillion won and will be used for facility funds for BlueOval SK in the U.S.SK innovation stated, “We have decided on the capital
As the demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI) led to an increase in global semiconductor sales this quarter, Samsung Electronics maintained its top position in the DRAM market share. SK hynix pushed out U.S.-based Micron to reclaim its second-place ranking.According to market research firm TrendFor
Refining margins, a key indicator of profitability in the oil refinery industry, have risen steeply recently, expanding expectations for improved business performances in the second half of the year.Singapore’s composite refining margin stood at US$14.13 a barrel as of Dec. 18, the highest in about
In the second quarter of this year, Korea’s net external financial assets (external financial assets minus external financial liabilities), which reflects the country’s external solvency, declined amid rising stock markets at home and abroad.However, Korea’s ratio of short-term external debt to tota
The utilization rate of LG Chem’s advanced materials business, which is considered the future food of the company, has been declining. The company is trying to respond to the market situation by reducing production as profitability has deteriorated due to the double whammy of slowing demand for elec
It has been revealed that major defense companies in South Korea achieved one-third of their total revenue through exports in the first half of this year. Following export contracts with countries like Poland last year, actual product deliveries have commenced this year, contributing to the increase
Amid concerns of dampened consumer sentiment in the latter half of this year, imported car manufacturers are launching aggressive discount campaigns.According to industry sources on Aug. 23, the “Big Three” German car manufacturers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi – initiated their discount promotions
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at kyeongkeun.kang@nhqv.com -- Ed.Having weathered a delay, Samyoung’s new production line for capacitor films is about to come online. Upon mass-production of capacitor films for EVs, sales mix improvement should lead to ful
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at jinmyung.lee93@shinhan.com -- Ed.Kukdo Chemical reported profit gains in 2Q23 despite weak ASP, backed by sales volume growth. The Chinese epoxy resin unit returned to profit. However, epoxy market conditions continued to be weigh
A bad feeling is growing among makers of electric vehicles that previously enjoyed rapid sales growth in the global automobile market. This is because their sales growth is staying on the skids year on year in major markets such as Korea, China, and the United States.According to the Korea Automobil
Shipbuilding exports are taking the lead in Korea’s exports in the first half of the year. During this span, Korea’s exports rose 11.9 percent year on year. The Korean shipbuilding industry secured four years’ worth of work through the end of the first half of this year. This is the largest order ba
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at sw.kang@nhqv.com -- Ed.Spiking real interest rates undermine fiscal sustainability. The US government will try to pace its spending and ease supply pressures through the TGA account. However, investors have no incentive to
The domestic car market is rapidly reorienting around SUVs. For the first time, SUVs have surpassed 60% of the total new car market share this year.According to industry sources on Aug. 22, a total of 546,230 SUVs, including leisure vehicles (RVs), were sold domestically from January to July this ye
In the first half of this year South Korea’s steel imports showed an increase of over 10% compared to last year. This significant rise in imports is attributed to fluctuations in the exchange rates of major importing countries like China and Japan coupled with a domestic industrial boom leading to a
Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) has reportedly exceeded 200 trillion won (US$149.31 billion) in debt for the first time in its history. This comes as the company is predicted to incur an operating loss of approximately 7 trillion won this year. Concerns are mounting over KEPCO’s ability to
Korean materials companies are considering launching research about LFP cathode materials, but this is the first time they have officially announced that.EcoPro BM and POSCO Future M started developing LFP cathode materials in earnest from the second quarter of this year, according to their semi-ann
Following a ban on overseas transfers of rare earth permanent magnet manufacturing technology at the end of 2022, China has decided to control the export of gallium and germanium emerging as next-generation semiconductor materials, starting from August. The Russian-Ukrainian war, which has been goin