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People visit the LG display at the international consumer technology fair IFA in Berlin, Germany September 2, 2022. Mobile display panel orders are concentrated in the second half of the year, when panels for Apple's latest mobile products are produced before the holiday season. Shares in LG Display rose as much as 8% after the earnings result, versus a 0.7% drop in the wider market (.KS11). "LG Display made it clear it will turn to profit. LG Display posted an operating loss of 662 billion won ($491.11 million) for the July-September quarter versus a loss of 759 billion won a year earlier.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Sung, Kim, Jeff Kim, midsized, Max, 1,347.9600, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Clarence Fernandez, Jamie Freed, Lincoln Organizations: LG, IFA, REUTERS, Wednesday, Apple, KB Securities, Analysts, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, SEOUL, Korean

The logo of SK Hynix is seen at its headquarters in Seongnam, South Korea, April 25, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Oct 26 (Reuters) - South Korea's SK Hynix (000660.KS) said a boom in artificial intelligence will drive chip profits after posting a sharply narrower third quarter loss than it did in the previous quarter. SK Hynix said it swung to a 1.8 trillion won ($1.33 billion) third-quarter operating loss from a profit of 1.7 trillion won a year earlier. It was its fourth consecutive quarterly loss, but improved from a trough of a 3.4 trillion won loss in the first quarter and a 2.9 trillion won loss in the second quarter. SK Hynix was ahead of rivals in developing HBM3 chips and securing AI-chip leader Nvidia (NVDA.O) as a client.

Persons: Kim Hong, chipmaker, SK Hynix, LSEG SmartEstimate, 1,351.6200, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Shri Navaratnam, Jamie Freed Organizations: SK Hynix, REUTERS, Rights, Korea's SK Hynix, SK, Revenue, Samsung Electronics, Analysts, SK Hynix's, Nvidia, Thomson Locations: Seongnam, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, KS

Samsung shares opened 3.3% higher versus a 1.4% rise in the wider market (.KS11), as analysts said memory chip prices likely bottomed in the third quarter, with some types starting to rebound. The world's largest memory chip and smartphone maker estimated its operating profit fell to 2.4 trillion won ($1.79 billion) in July-September, from 10.85 trillion won a year earlier in a short preliminary earnings statement. The profit beat a 2.1 trillion won LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. The company reported losses of 4.58 trillion won and 4.36 trillion in its chip business in the first and second quarter respectively, as memory chip prices plunged and its inventory values were slashed. Samsung's said its revenue likely fell 13% from the same period a year earlier to 67 trillion won.

Persons: Yves Herman, LSEG, Ko Yeongmin, chipmakers, Ko, Samsung's, 1,342.1900, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Jamie Freed Organizations: Samsung, REUTERS, Samsung Electronics, Daol Investment, Securities, Apple, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Diegem, Belgium, SEOUL

The world's largest memory chip and smartphone maker estimated its operating profit fell to 2.4 trillion won ($1.79 billion) in July-September, from 10.85 trillion won a year earlier in a short preliminary earnings statement. The profit beat a 2.1 trillion won LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. Although down sharply from last year, Samsung's third quarter profit is higher than the first quarter's 640 billion won and the second quarter's 670 billion won. Rival Micron Technology (MU.O) also forecast a quarterly loss last month, triggering concerns of a sluggish recovery in the memory chip maker's end markets such as data centres. Samsung's revenue likely fell 13% from the same period a year earlier to 67 trillion won, Samsung said in the statement.

Persons: Yves Herman, LSEG, Samsung's, chipmakers, 1,342.1900, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Jamie Freed Organizations: Samsung, REUTERS, Rights, Samsung Electronics Co, Micron Technology, Apple, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Diegem, Belgium, Rights SEOUL, KS, Korean

In particular, memory chip demand from corporate buyers stocking AI data centres as well as gaming personal computers is expected to increase in the second half of the year, the world's second-biggest memory chip maker said. SK Hynix reported a 2.9 trillion won ($2.28 billion) operating loss in the June quarter, down from 4.2 trillion won profit a year earlier on weak memory chip pricing and demand. AI CHIPSSK Hynix said demand for AI server memory had more than doubled in the second quarter compared to the first quarter. SK Hynix leads the market in high bandwidth memory (HBM) DRAM used in the fast-growing field of generative AI. Samsung, the world's biggest memory chip maker, will report its detailed second-quarter financial results on Thursday.

Persons: SK Hynix, Greg Roh, Nam Dae, 1,274.1300, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed Organizations: Korea's SK Hynix, Microsoft, SK Hynix's, SK, SK Hynix, Revenue, Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Securities, eBEST Investment, Securities, Samsung, Thomson Locations: SEOUL, KS, HBM

SEOUL, July 26 (Reuters) - South Korea's SK Hynix (000660.KS) on Wednesday posted a worse-than-expected quarterly operating loss on weak memory chip pricing and demand, but said the market was beginning to recover from a deep downturn. In particular, memory chip demand from corporate buyers and gaming personal computers is expected to increase in the second half of the year versus the first, the world's second-biggest memory chip maker said in a statement. This compared with expectations for a 2.7 trillion won operating loss, according to 22 analyst views compiled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate, weighted toward analysts that are more consistently accurate. SK Hynix has reported losses each quarter since the fourth quarter of 2022, although the June quarter loss narrowed from a record of 3.4 trillion won loss in the March quarter. A boom in artificial intelligence, however, helped SK Hynix boost sales of high-end DRAM chips in the second quarter and narrow losses from the previous quarter.

Persons: Refinitiv SmartEstimate, 1,274.1300, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed Organizations: Korea's SK Hynix, SK Hynix, Revenue, Thomson Locations: SEOUL

The world's largest memory chip and smartphone maker estimated its operating profit fell to 600 billion won ($459 million) in April-June, from 14.1 trillion won a year earlier in a short preliminary earnings statement. It would be Samsung's lowest profit for any quarter since a 590 billion won profit in the first quarter of 2009, according to company data. Shares in Samsung fell 1.4% in early morning trade, underperforming a 0.6% drop in the wider market (.KS11). In the January-March quarter, the company reported a whopping 4.58 trillion won loss in its chip business as memory chip prices fell further and its inventory values were slashed. Revenue in April to June likely fell 22% from the same period a year earlier to 60 trillion won, Samsung said in the statement.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Refinitiv, Greg Roh, 1,307.6700, Joyce Lee, Heekyong Yang, Shri Navaratnam, Sonali Paul Organizations: Samsung Electronics, REUTERS, Samsung Electronics Co, Samsung, Hyundai Motor Securities, Revenue, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, SEOUL, KS

A global downturn in semiconductor demand amid an economic slowdown and weak customer spending sent chip prices plummeting in the first quarter. For the current quarter, Samsung said it expected limited demand recovery for memory chips as major data centre firms invested more conservatively in servers. Revenue fell 18% to 63.7 trillion won. The South Korean tech giant's chip division - normally its most reliable cash cow - reported a 4.58 trillion won loss compared to a 8.45 trillion won profit a year earlier. As a result, smartphone, personal computer and server companies have run down inventories, causing chip prices to plunge by about 70% over the previous nine months.

The firm's loss widened as a global economic slowdown worsened a memory chip glut during the first quarter, prompting sluggish demand and falling prices, SK Hynix said. However, "we expect revenue to rebound in the second quarter after bottoming out in the first, driven by a gradual increase in sales volume," SK Hynix said. Such cuts will reduce inventory across the industry and improve market conditions from the current quarter, SK Hynix said. The loss is the biggest since SK Group acquired Hynix in 2012, and is the second in a row after the fourth quarter's 1.9 trillion won loss. SK Hynix shares traded up 2.1% versus a 0.2% decline in the wider market (.KS11), after the firm flagged a market rebound.

Samsung estimated its operating profit fell to 600 billion won ($455.5 million) in January-March, from 14.12 trillion won a year earlier, in a short preliminary earnings statement. The production cut signal is unusually strong for Samsung, which previously said it would make small adjustments like pauses for refurbishing production lines but not a full-blown cut. The first-quarter profit fell short of a 873 billion won Refinitiv SmartEstimate, weighted toward analysts who are more consistently accurate. It was the lowest since a 590 billion won profit in the first quarter of 2009, according to company data. Revenue likely fell 19% from the same period a year earlier to 63 trillion won, Samsung said.

SEOUL, March 6 (Reuters) - South Korea will halt a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute process sparked by a complaint against Japan as the two countries discuss Japan's export curbs on high-tech materials to South Korea, the two countries' trade ministries said on Monday. In July 2019, Japan imposed export curbs on materials used in smartphone displays and chips amid a decades-old row with Seoul about South Koreans who said they were forced to work under Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea. As South Korea has proposed its companies would compensate those people, both countries will quickly begin discussions to return export curbs to their pre-July 2019 state, the ministries said on Monday. "The suspension of the WTO dispute resolution process is not really a withdrawal... but a pause," said Kamchan Kang, director-general at Korea's trade ministry. Reporting by Joyce Lee and Heekyong Yang; Editing by Kim Coghill and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Memory chips by South Korean semiconductor supplier SK Hynix are seen on a circuit board of a computer in this illustration picture taken February 25, 2022. SK Hynix flagged lower chip prices in the current quarter. For the fourth quarter ended December, SK Hynix swung to a worse-than-expected 1.7 trillion won ($1.38 billion) operating loss, from 4.2 trillion won profit a year earlier. Analysts had expected a 1.3 trillion won operating loss, according to Refinitiv SmartEstimate. On its earnings call, SK Hynix said it will focus its resources on advanced chips to prepare for a market upturn in 2024.

"Samsung, in a roundabout way, is saying production will decrease slightly," said analyst Kim Yang-jae at Daol Investment and Securities. CHIP PROFIT TUMBLESEarlier on Tuesday, Samsung reported its lowest quarterly profit since 2014 and said persistent macroeconomic uncertainty will make for a tough first half of this year, though it expects demand to start recovering in the second half. At 4.3 trillion won ($3.49 billion), October-December operating profit was Samsung's lowest quarterly profit in eight years. Some analysts expect the chip business to book a loss in the first quarter, pulling overall profit below that of the fourth. In mobile, Samsung said fourth-quarter profit fell to 1.7 trillion won from 2.66 trillion won a year earlier, as a decline in low- and mid-end smartphone sales was greater than expected.

At 4.3 trillion won ($3.49 billion), October-December operating profit was Samsung's lowest quarterly profit in eight years. Revenue fell 8% to 70.5 trillion won. Some analysts expect the chip business to book a loss in the first quarter, pulling overall profit below that of the fourth. Memory chip rivals Micron Technology Inc (MU.O) and SK Hynix Inc (000660.KS) had already said they would slash investment in 2023. Investors will be watching for whether Samsung avoids mentioning a direct chip production cut - as is its usual stance - or rather gives a clear signal of production cuts given the severity of the memory chip down-cycle.

"We engaged in intense production adjustment in the fourth quarter," Kim Sung-hyun, CFO of LG Display said in an earnings call. It flagged investments of only about 3 trillion won this year, compared to 5.2 trillion won in 2022, and said it will conservatively maintain existing production. Shares in LG Display reversed early losses, jumping 4.1% in afternoon trade versus a 1% rise in the wider market (.KS11). It missed an average forecast of a 797 billion won loss from 10 analysts polled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate, weighted toward analysts that are more consistently accurate. A continuous decline in mid-sized panel prices and efforts to control inventory and reduce factory operations caused the loss, LG Display said.

SEOUL, Jan 27 (Reuters) - South Korean display panel maker LG Display (034220.KS) on Friday posted a record operating loss in the December quarter, as global demand for smartphones, computers and televisions remains depressed amid an uncertain economic outlook. It missed an average forecast of a 797 billion won loss from 10 analysts polled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward analysts that are more consistently accurate. Revenue fell 17% to 7.3 trillion won, LG Display said. In order to weather the downturn, LG Display said last month it is stopping production of liquid-crystal display (LCD) TV panels in South Korea. LG Display said it plans to boost its made-to-order business to increase stability in the face of uncertain market conditions, from 30% of sales currently to 50% of sales by 2024.

SEOUL, Jan 11 (Reuters) - South Korea's Hanwha Solutions Corp (009830.KS) said on Wednesday its unit Hanwha Q Cells will invest a total of $2.5 billion to build a solar power manufacturing value chain in the U.S. state of Georgia through June 2025. The company's board approved on Wednesday a $2.31 investment to build a solar power ingot, wafer, cell and module factory, the company said in a regulatory filing. This is in addition to a roughly $200 billion U.S. investment approved late last year, a Hanwha Solutions spokesperson said. With the investment, the company is expected to increase its solar module production capacity in the United States from 1.7 gigawatts as of 2022 to 8.4 gigawatts as of 2024, Hanwha Solutions said in a press conference. Reporting by Joyce Lee and Heekyong Yang; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The world's largest memory chip, smartphone and TV maker estimated its profit slumped to 4.3 trillion won ($3.37 billion) in October-December from 13.87 trillion won a year earlier. It was Samsung's smallest quarterly profit since the third quarter of 2014 and fell short of a 5.9 trillion won Refinitiv SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. Revenue likely fell 9% from the same period a year earlier to 70 trillion won, Samsung said in the short preliminary earnings release. Samsung said that memory chip prices also declined throughout the quarter due to increased inventory at memory suppliers, leading to a greater-than-expected drop in chip prices. Its mobile business profit declined in the fourth quarter as smartphone sales and revenue decreased due to weak demand resulting from prolonged macroeconomic issues, Samsung added.

The dismal profit estimate by the world's largest memory chip, smartphone and TV maker - a bellwether for global consumer demand - sets a weak tone for other technology firms' quarterly results. Samsung's profits are expected to shrink again in the current quarter, analysts said, after the South Korean company announced its October-December operating profit likely fell 69% to 4.3 trillion won ($3.37 billion) from 13.87 trillion won a year earlier. It was Samsung's smallest quarterly profit since the third quarter of 2014 and fell short of a 5.9 trillion won Refinitiv SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. Quarterly revenue likely fell 9% from the same period a year earlier to 70 trillion won, Samsung said in a short preliminary earnings statement. Shares of rival memory chip maker SK Hynix (000660.KS) rose 2.1%.

SEOUL, Dec 1 (Reuters) - A strike by South Korean truckers is estimated to have cost 1.6 trillion won ($1.23 billion) in lost shipments, the industry ministry said on Thursday, as a lengthy strike becomes more likely with the government and union far from a compromise. The cement, steel, auto and oil refining industries have seen 1.6 trillion won in lost shipments in seven days since the strike began last week, the ministry said in a statement. This includes 562,600 tonnes of steel worth 731.3 billion, 6,707 cars worth 319.2 billion won, and 259,238 kilolitres of oil products valued at 442.6 billion won stuck in transit, it said. Two people at the meeting on Wednesday said shouting erupted during Wednesday's meeting between the government and strike organiser Cargo Truckers Solidarity Union (CTSU). The government is preparing to potentially order oil industry truckers back to their jobs, the industry ministry said on Thursday, after it issued an unprecedented order to force 2,500 cement industry truckers back to work this week.

[1/4] A view of a construction site where concrete pouring work is suspended due to a nationwide strike by truckers in Seoul, South Korea November 25, 2022. "We need to establish a rule of law between labour and management," Yoon said on Monday, according to the presidential office. Yoon will personally preside over a cabinet meeting on Tuesday which will consider a 'work force order' demanding striking truckers return to their jobs, his office said. According to South Korean law, during a serious disruption to transport the government may issue an order to force transport workers back to their jobs. While stations secured inventory before the strike, about 80% of truckers for major refiners such as SK Innovation's (096770.KS) SK Energy and S-Oil Corp (010950.KS) are striking union members.

Samsung's (005930.KS) operating profit fell to 10.85 trillion won ($7.7 billion) for the July-September quarter, from 15.8 trillion won a year earlier, the first year-on-year decline in nearly three years. That was in line with Samsung's (005930.KS) own estimate of 10.8 trillion won earlier this month. Revenue rose 4% to 76.8 trillion won. Profit in its chip business fell to 5.12 trillion won from 10.07 trillion won a year earlier. This was relatively more upbeat than its smaller rival SK Hynix (000660.KS), which warned of an "unprecedented deterioration" in memory chip demand and slashed investment by more than 50% on Wednesday.

It missed an average forecast of a 474 billion won loss from 12 analysts polled by Refinitiv SmartEstimate. Revenue fell 6% to 6.8 trillion won, LG Display said in a regulatory filing. "Under the conservative stance that poor management performance may be prolonged...we will accelerate our exit from the LCD TV sector," said LG Display Chief Financial Officer Sunghyun Kim told analysts on Wednesday, without providing an updated timeline. In third quarter, the company derived around 9% of its revenue from LCD TVs, a spokesperson said. Shares in LG Display fell 0.8% after the earnings result, versus a 0.6% rise in the wider market.

Investors looked beyond the bleak outlook to welcome the aggressive investment cut, sending SK Hynix shares 1.7% higher in a bet the scale of the action would help control chip oversupply and prop up chip prices. SK Hynix said its operating profit fell to 1.66 trillion won ($1.16 billion) in the July-September quarter, from 4.2 trillion won a year earlier. The result was below analysts' expectations of a 1.87 trillion won profit, according to Refinitiv SmartEstimate. SK Hynix said its 2022 investment is expected to be at the "upper range of 10-20 trillion won ($7-14 billion)", meaning 2023 investments could fall below 10 trillion won. SK Hynix also warned of uncertainties involving its chip plants in China due to U.S. export restrictions on advanced chip equipment to China aimed at slowing Beijing's technological advances.

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