The outlook has turned rosier since Foxconn Chairman Young Liu said in November the world's largest contract electronics maker had "relatively conservative and neutral" expectations for 2024. The profit beat a T$43.52 billion LSEG SmartEstimate, which gives greater weight to forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. In the fourth quarter, consumer electronics including smartphones accounted for 58% of revenue while cloud and networking products, including servers, contributed 20%. Foxconn said it expects revenue for the first quarter to slightly decline from a year earlier, with revenue for smart computer electronics also likely to drop in the period. Apple last month reported sales and profit that beat Wall Street estimates, powered by growth in its iPhone business though its China sales missed analysts' targets.

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Persons: 20JUL16 SCMP, Nora Tam, Foxconn, Young Liu Organizations: South China Morning, Getty, Foxconn, Hai Precision Industry Co, Apple, Wall Locations: Foxconn, Longhua, Shenzhen, 20JUL16, South, China