Korea’s largest shipping company HMM has acquired a second-hand large bulk carrier on the M&A market. The shipping company has started to diversify its business with its record operating profits in 2022, analysts say.Korean shipping company HMM acquired a Newcastlemax dry bulk carrier from Germany’s
The demand for high-performance memory semiconductors essential for AI chips is experiencing explosive growth due to the escalating demand for AI chips among global tech companies involved in the cloud server business. Consequently, there are high expectations for the upcoming business prospects of
South Korean battery enterprises are ramping up their efforts to expand into the rapidly growing energy storage system (ESS) battery market, which is experiencing a growth trajectory on par with the electric vehicle sector. Notably, LG Energy Solution, which was once a front-runner in the ESS market
SK Inc. has laid out an ambitious plan to invest 23 trillion won (US$17.82 billion) in eco-friendly initiatives by 2025, with a primary focus on “energy transition.” SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won has shown keen interest in transforming SK’s business landscape from a petroleum-centric structure to o
Despite a global recession, the market for automotive organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is demonstrating considerable growth, intensifying the rivalry between Samsung Display and LG Display.LG Display has previously dominated the market, but Samsung Display is swiftly catching up, securing a ser
Chinese battery companies have been pushing to establish factories in South Korea one after another. It is a strategy to circumvent regulations under the U.S. government’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), analysts say. It is expected that the companies will try to enter the U.S. and European markets b
China’s decision to impose export controls on gallium and germanium beginning on Aug. 1 in response to U.S. export restrictions has Korean semiconductor, display, and battery industries on edge.According to industry sources on July 31, the Korean semiconductor, display, and secondary battery industr
India has blocked Chinese automakers from investing in India. This is expected to give Hyundai Motor Group of Korea reflective benefits as the Korean automaker is expanding its investments in India.According to foreign media outlets including the Economic Times of India, Chinese electric vehicle mak
CJ CheilJedang announced on July 31 that it has sold its entire stake in the Chinese food subsidiary Jixiangju. This is a strategic move to accelerate the growth of K-food and strengthen financial soundness through “selection and focus.”The sale price is approximately 300 billion won, and the buyers
The author is an analyst for Shinhan Securities. She can be reached at hpark@shinhan.com -- Ed.Solid performance reported at home and in ChinaF&F registered consolidated operating profit of KRW110.1bn (+16% YoY) on sales of KRW405.5bn (+9% YoY) in 2Q23, largely coming in line with market expectation
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. She can be reached at jiyoony@nhqv.com -- Ed.2Q23 sales missed consensus due to weak MLB duty-free and Discovery sales. But, sales in China are estimated to climb 51% y-y in 2H23, and the number of MLB stores should exceed the target set at th
Negative views of China grew among people in high-income countries, a survey has found. In the United States, Japan, and Australia, the percentage of respondents with negative views of China exceeded 80 percent. In South Korea, it was more than 10 percentage points higher than when the survey was co
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at dongyang.kim@nhqv.com -- Ed.With profits from its E&P division, LXI is continuing its eco-friendly transition. Worries over the NPS’s exclusion of coal projects should ease gradually, as: 1) business diversification has st
The author is an analyst for NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at jooyh@nhqv.com -- Ed.Despite a reduction in daigou-related sales, profitability at Hotel Shilla improved beyond expectations in 2Q23 on an increase in general (high-margin) retail customers amid a recovery in travel demand
One in five Korean exporters actually dialed up their exports over the past three years despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey.According to the survey on changes in exports before and after the pandemic released by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) on July 30, 20.2 perc
With exports of domestic semiconductors, displays, and electronic devices plummeting recently, concerns are growing that the Korean electronics industry is losing its market competitiveness.According to sources in the Korean electronics industry on July 28, there were growing concerns that Korean sm
CATL, China's largest battery manufacturer, is witnessing explosive growth, with its revenue for the first half of the year nearing that of the entire South Korean battery industry.According to industry sources on July 30, CATL reported sales of 189.246 billion yuan (US$26.6068 billion) and an o
The newly appointed CEO, Lee Hak-jae, is set to propel Incheon International Airport’s logistics services into a new era. His leadership promises to infuse fresh vitality into the airport’s logistics operations and fulfill his vision of establishing Incheon as a global logistics hub.Born in 1964, Pr
For the first time, Chinese shipbuilders have won large containership orders from global shipping giants. The Chinese government gave full support to the Chinese shipbuilder in landing this order. This helped China rise as the No. 1 shipbuilding powerhouse for large containerships in the world in th
Lotte Shopping has soft opened a mega commercial complex in Hanoi, Vietnam, marking its takeoff to become Asia’s No. 1 shopping center. The move marks a major exit from China and a relocation to Vietnam for Lotte Group’s overseas bases following China’s retaliation against Korean companies, includin