The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced on May 29 that it has arranged special passenger planes to ship export goods of Korean companies to Japan and Germany.A chartered plane left for Narita, Japan on May 29, followed by another one sent to Frankfurt, Germany on May 30. They we
The author is an analyst of NH Investment & Securities. He can be reached at hwdoh@nhqv.com. -- Ed. Memory contract prices for May showed little m-m change. Meanwhile, we expect 2Q20 DRAM contract price to climb 11% q-q. In 3Q20, memory price growth is likely to slow relative to that seen in 1H20, a
Samsung Electronics announced on June 1 plans to expand its NAND flash production capacity in Pyeongtaek, Korea, reinforcing the company’s ability to meet demands from emerging technologies.Construction of the new facility began this May in Pyeongtaek Line 2. It is expected to start volume productio
Korea Exchange announced on May 31 that the total stock futures trading volume was 73,931.4 billion won in March this year, up 127.7 percent from a year ago. That month, the number of stock futures contracts was 136.81 million, up 137.1 percent from a year earlier. In addition, the number increased
The Korea Federation of SMEs announced on May 31 that this year’s third application for immigrant workers would be available from June 1 to 15.The foreign worker quota for that period is 6,026 consisting of those from the 16 countries including Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Indones
While LG Electronics is releasing the world's first 48-inch OLED TVs in June, panels for the new TVs will be supplied from LG Display's Chinese plant. Analysts say that the company has begun to count down mass production 10 months after the Chinese plant was completed last year."LG Display
Pulmuone has posted its first net profit in China in 10 years of operations, marking a turning point of its food business in China, the company announced on June 1.Pulmuone said that Pumeiduo Foods, a Chinese business unit of the company, turned a profit in the first quarter of 2020 with quarterly p
South Korean securities companies’ assets have more than tripled in years based on financial deregulation and the government’s policy for investment banking growth acceleration. The increase in assets has come with expanded derivatives-linked securities (DLS) and shadow banking in the real estate se
The authors are analysts of Shinhan Investment Corp. They can be reached at sh.kim@shinhan.com and jongseon@shinhan.com. -- Ed. 25bp policy rate cut to lower annual NIM by around 3-4bpThe Bank of Korea cut the policy rate earlier than expected at the May 28meeting, down by 25bp from 0.75% to 0.50%.
Treatments for genetic diseases worth about US$500,000 were air shipped to Iran on May 29 as the first case of the export of humanitarian goods to Iran that resumed on April 6, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on May 29.The South Korean government continued close consultations with the United St
Korea East-West Power announced on May 28 that it has signed a joint development agreement (JDA) with Hana Financial Investment and Samchully Asset Management to promote a large-scale solar power project in Queensland, Australia.Australia is rich in solar and wind power resources. The nation’s conve
LG Display, which posted an operating loss of 361.9 billion won in the first quarter, is enjoying a surge in orders for LCD panels for tablet PCs and laptop monitors in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak.Apple has recently asked LG Display to supply LCD panels for the iPad fast. LG Display is
The South Korean government announced on May 28 that it would provide special guarantees worth 500 billion won, along with a one-year customs inspection exemption, for auto parts manufacturers.Specifically, automakers will provide 20 billion won, Korea Credit Guarantee Fund or Korea Technology Finan
SK Hynix has regained the fifth spot in the global NAND flash market based on sales, beating Intel. However, as SK Hynix's NAND flash business is still in the red, some experts point out that the Korean chipmaker needs to increase investment to upgrade its technologies such as controller technol
The authors are analysts of Shinhan Investment Corp. They can be reached at sungjun.na@shinhan.com and doyeon@shinhan.com, respectively. -- Ed. Domestic production of large batch-type ALD equipment draws nearEugene Technology’s large batch-type atomic layer deposition (ALD) equipment is currently un
The author is an analyst of Shinhan Investment Corp. He can be reached at shawn1225@shinhan.com. -- Ed. Potential value of SC formulations and expansion of Hybrozyme licensingThe value of biosimilar versions that can be administered subcutaneously has been in the spotlight for some time. Subcutaneou
The author is an analyst of Shinhan Investment Corp. He can be reached at msbond@shinhan.com. -- Ed. Base rate cut in May meeting and likely to be kept low for long timeThe Monetary Policy Board of the Bank of Korea (BOK) decided at the May meeting to lower the base rate by 25bp to 0.50%. The Board
The South Korean government will organize a nationwide sales event, as big as the Korea Sale Festa held in autumn, from June 26 to July 12 to stimulate the domestic economy, the Ministry of Economy and Finance said on May 28.The plan is part of the government's economic policies for the second h
South Korea's industrial output fell 2.5 percent in April from a month earlier and 5 percent from a year ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic.According to the industrial data released by Statistics Korea on May 29, the April manufacturing output index slipped 6.0 percent on-month and 4.7 percent on
The Bank of Korea cut the key rate by 0.25 percentage point on May 28. As a result, the interest rate reflecting the rate of inflation, 0.3 percent to 0.6 percent, has become zero.Since the central bank cut the key rate two months ago, the market liquidity has increased a lot and the South Korean go