À̹ÌÁö È®´ë Key Korean firms see rebound in stocks in January despite earnings shock [Image source: Gettyimagesbank]
Stocks of major Korean companies have gained this year, even after their disappointing earnings for the fourth quarter, on optimism that the U.S. Federal Reserve could ease its tightening campaign.
The U.S. Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting will be held for two days from Tuesday.
According to FnGuide on Monday, 18 out of 27 listed companies that announced fourth quarter earnings by Jan. 27 showed lower-than-expected results. A significant chunk of companies reported earnings shocks for the October-December period, which were more than 10 percent lower than market expectations.
These companies¡¯ stocks gained by 10 percent this year despite with their earnings shock. Samsung Electronics Co. recorded an operating profit of 4.3 trillion won ($3.49 billion) in the fourth quarter of last year, 37.4 percent lower than what the market expected due to the sluggish chip demand. But its shares rose 1.4 percent on Jan. 6 when the earnings were announced. The stock price gained 16.8 percent this month alone.
Other companies are in the same situation. LG Electronics Inc. posted 69.3 billion won in operating profit for the fourth quarter, 83.5 percent lower than expected. LG Innotek Co. recorded 170 billion won, 58.7 percent lower than expectations and LG Energy Solutions Ltd. 237.4 billion won, 47.6 percent lower than expected.
POSCO Holdings Inc. swung to an operating loss, while others reported weak earnings: POSCO Chemical Co.¡¯s operating profit was down 94.8 percent, LX Semicon Co. was 78.3 percent lower, Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. was down 49.9 percent, Mirae Asset Securities Co. slipped 52 percent and Samsung Securities Co. was 78.3 percent lower. However, stocks of these companies showed a 10 percent increase, exceeding the broader benchmark KOSPI¡¯s 11.1 percent for the month of January.
By Park Yoon-hye and Minu Kim
[¨Ï Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]