The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at junsup@nhqv.com -- Ed.From now forward, we believe that the key to determining the value of financial sector plays is to be the existence of specific shareholder return policies and the market's level of trust in them.Boos
Foreign investors who invest in domestic stocks and bonds will see significant improvements in the complex foreign exchange procedures they have faced so far. It is expected that the accessibility of foreign investors to the domestic market and the Korean won will improve.The Bank of Korea and the M
Korean Air has received conditional approval from European Union (EU) competition authorities for its merger with Asiana Airlines. Therefore, the sale of Asiana’s cargo business, a condition for the merger, is now on the right track.According to investment banking and aviation industry sources on Fe
Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) has secured a contract for the largest overseas airport development and operation project in its history, expected to generate sales of 37 trillion won in the Philippines.On Feb. 16, it was announced that Incheon International Airport Corporation won
The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) is planning to broaden the range of corporate disclosures accessible to foreign investors in real-time and to introduce a new service exclusively in English called “English Open DART” by the end of the year.On Feb. 18, the FSS announced the road map for improv
Five activist funds, including City of London Investment Management, have initiated demands for Samsung C&T to retire its treasury stocks and increase dividends.With the combined stake of the five funds amounting to less than 1.5 percent, the likelihood of Samsung C&T accepting their demands is low.
On Feb. 14, President Yoon Suk-yeol stated, “We will strive to position South Korea as the most favorable destination for businesses worldwide.”President Yoon hosted a luncheon meeting with foreign investment company representatives at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in the Jung
APR, scheduled for a listing by the end of this month, held a press briefing on Feb. 13 to disclose its future business vision and strategy post-IPO.At the event, APR CEO Kim Byung-hoon expressed his ambition to grow APR into the world’s leading beauty tech company, spearheaded by Medicube. He belie
Samsung Biologics announced on Feb. 13 that it has been awarded the Leadership A- grade in the climate change response category by global sustainability evaluation organization Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). CDP, a non-profit international organization founded in the U.K. in 2000, conducts project
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. He can be reached at sokang@shinhan.com -- Ed.4Q23 review: New game and profitability disappointNCsoft registered operating profit of KRW3.9bn (-91.9% YoY, -76.7% QoQ, operating margin of 0.9%) on sales of KRW437.7bn (-20.1% YoY, +3.5% QoQ) for 4Q23,
Following the announcement of the government’s introduction of a program to enhance corporate value, stocks with a low price-to-book ratio (PBR) showed strength. Over the past two weeks, foreign investors’ net purchases on the KOSPI surpassed 5 trillion won. While low PBR stocks surged due to foreig
On Feb. 8, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) unveiled its agenda for the year, intending to elevate the criteria for designating business conglomerates subject to disclosure. Criticism has been directed at the regulations governing the disclosure of business groups as they are unique to South Korea. T
President Yoon Suk-yeol reiterated the importance of adopting a global standard to address the “Korea Discount,” which indicates the undervaluation of the domestic stock market, during his televised speech on Feb. 7. This has sparked increased interest in low price-to-book ratio (PBR) stocks among i
Hyundai Engineering & Construction announced on Feb. 7 that it has been awarded the highest grade in the climate change response sector, “Leadership A,” by the Korean Committee of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a global sustainable management evaluation organization.Leadership A is a grade awa
The Korea Exchange (KRX) announced on Feb. 6 that it will open the “30-Year Treasury Futures Market” from Feb. 19 to promote the advancement of the government bond market and hedge against risks from long-term interest rate fluctuations. This marks the first time in 16 years since the introduction o
The government has decided to announce measures in February to address the risk of foreign investors’ failure to settle foreign exchange payments as part of the structural improvements in South Korea’s foreign exchange market, which are set to begin in earnest in July.The plan is to manage the risks
The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) has announced plans to conduct a comprehensive investigation aimed at eradicating the common practice of illegal short selling by global investment banks (IBs).In its business plan announced on Feb. 5, the FSS stated, “We will crack down on market disruptions
Expectations of an increase in the corporate value of domestic listed companies are attracting foreign capital to the South Korean stock market. Particularly, there is a concentrated buying interest in automotive stocks, including Hyundai Motor, and growth stocks in industries such as artificial int
Hana Securities announced on Feb. 1 that it is establishing a foreign investment solution team to expand its customer base to non-resident foreigners.Last year, the foreign investor registration system, which had been criticized as one of the obstacles for foreign investors in domestic investments,
IMM Investment has joined the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) to strengthen responsible investment.As of January 2024, IMM Investment announced that it officially signed and completed the formal membership process with the UN PRI. IMM Investment stated that the membersh