Attendees wait in line beneath a big LED show of sensible linked dwelling merchandise to enter the Samsung Electronics sales space, through the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 6, 2023.
Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images
Shares of semiconductors in Asia fell as South Korean chip large Samsung Electronics noticed its worst revenue decline for the reason that third quarter of 2014.
Its fourth quarter working revenue fell to 4.31 trillion gained ($3.4 billion) — a 69% drop from the identical interval a yr in the past, when it raked in 13.87 trillion gained.
Operating revenue for the ultimate three months of 2022 was the bottom for the reason that quarter that resulted in September 2014, when it recorded 4 trillion gained.
This comes as international smartphone shipments plunged to a low not seen since 2013, marking the biggest ever decline.
Stocks of chipmakers in Asia noticed losses as Samsung introduced it is going to proceed capital expenditure within the upcoming yr, wherein it spent a complete of 47.9 trillion gained for semiconductors in 2022.
The firm was extensively anticipated to drag again on additional spending as international demand worsened.
Shares of Samsung Electronics fell by 3.6% in Seoul’s buying and selling session on Tuesday. Rivals like SK Hynix additionally fell greater than 2%, whereas Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company additionally fell 3.9% in Asia commerce.
Japanese chipmakers Tokyo Electron fell 1.14%, Renesas Electronics shed 0.97% whereas Advantest fell 1.7%. Lasertec additionally fell 2.07%.
“Without some meaningful adjustment in production, I think it’ll be difficult to match the current mismatch in supply and demand,” SK Kim of Daiwa Capital Markets instructed CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia.”
U.S. semiconductor maker Micron introduced final month it is going to reduce its headcount by 10% in 2023 reduce its capital expenditures, which Kim described as “not enough.”
“We expect Samsung and other major memory makers [to] cut their production by at least 20%, that’s something we anticipated from [the] end of this quarter over the second quarter,” Kim mentioned.
Despite worsening financial circumstances, Samsung Electronics mentioned it expects demand to recuperate later this yr.
Semiconductors energy all the things from smartphones to electrical automobiles. We suppose the sector’s battered shares look primed for restoration.
“For 2023, while the macroeconomic uncertainties are expected to persist, the Company anticipates demand to begin recovering in the second half,” it mentioned in a press launch.
“The semiconductor business will continue to reinforce market and technology leadership and expand the proportion of advanced nodes and products.”
‘Primed for restoration’
JPMorgan Private Bank mentioned the semiconductor trade gives a beautiful entry level for traders as chip shares noticed steep declines in 2022.
“Looking at price moves, earnings expectations and [price-to-earnings] multiples, the industry now seems close to a cyclical bottom,” its strategists Jacob Manoukian and Jonathan Linden mentioned in a report launched earlier this month, citing knowledge from the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics.
“Semiconductors power everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. We think the sector’s battered stocks look primed for recovery,” they wrote.
Daniel Yoo of Yuanta Securities agreed it might be time to purchase chip shares.
“I think that it is an opportunity to buy, but the question [mark] is that whether or not a really significant turnaround happens in the second quarter or the third quarter,” he mentioned on CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia.”
“We see that continuation of the significant increase in terms of the demand regarding data centers or various areas,” mentioned Yoo. “Also there’s a possibility that the AI-related demand might be picking up going into this year.”
– CNBC’s Chery Kang contributed to this report.
Source: www.cnbc.com