ZCZC
BCN-28
SKOREA-ECONOMY-TELECOM-SKHYNIX
SK Hynix sees first quarterly profit fall in two years
SEOUL, Jan 24, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The world’s second-largest memory chip
maker, South Korea’s SK Hynix, saw operating profits drop for the first time
in two years in the fourth quarter as prices fell, it said Thursday.
Korean chipmakers — led by the behemoth Samsung Electronics — have
enjoyed record profits in recent years as prices for their products soared.
But demand has started to decline as global market supply increases, after
manufacturers invested billions in new factories.
SK Hynix supplies chips to companies from US’s Apple to China’s Huawei
Technologies, and recorded operating profits of 4.46 trillion won ($3.9
billion) in the October to December period, it said.
It was a 0.8 percent decline year-on-year, but the quarter-on-quarter
changes were dramatic: revenues dropped 13 percent, operating profits slumped
32 percent, and net income fell 28 percent.
“As memory demand slowed down in the second half and the supply shortage
was resolved, the memory market environment rapidly changed,” the company
said in a statement.
Breaking down the details, it said prices for DRAM chips — used in
smartphones and computer servers — fell by 11 percent between the third and
fourth quarters and volumes slipped two percent. NAND flash chip shipments
rose 10 percent, but the average price slumped 21 percent.
The weak demand was “linked to growing macroeconomic uncertainties”, the
company added.
For the full year 2018, SK Hynix made operating profits of 20.9 trillion
won, up 52 percent, on sales 34 percent higher at 40.5 trillion won. Net
income jumped 46 percent to 15.5 trillion won. All three measures were record
highs.
The figures come after Samsung Electronics earlier this month flagged a
29-percent drop in its quarterly profits earlier this month, citing mounting
competition in China and falling prices.
BSS/AFP/HR/1345