{"id":16018,"date":"2026-05-14T01:50:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T01:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/16018\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T01:50:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T01:50:15","slug":"sk-hynix-overtakes-samsung-electronics-in-valuation-for-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/16018\/","title":{"rendered":"SK hynix Overtakes Samsung Electronics in Valuation for First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u25b2AI PRISM* Customized Economic Briefing<\/p>\n

*Editor’s Note: ‘AI PRISM’ (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an AI-based customized news recommendation and summary service developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It provides six curated news items tailored to each reader type.<\/p>\n

\u25a0 SK hynix (000660.KS) Flips Valuation Landscape: SK hynix’s 2026 forward price-to-earnings ratio reached 6.79 times, surpassing Samsung Electronics (005930.KS) at 6.77 times by 0.02 points for the first time ever. Market analysts suggest that following SK hynix’s preemptive move in the HBM market and its operating profit reversal last year, even the “No. 1 Korean company premium” has now shifted.<\/p>\n

\u25a0 Samsung Electronics Strike Risk Raises Chip Supply Chain Concerns: If the strike materializes, the industry estimates that 22,000 wafers would be scrapped daily, resulting in losses of around 1 trillion won. With expected union participants accounting for 64% of the Device Solutions (DS) division workforce, warnings have emerged that this could effectively halt factory operations.<\/p>\n

\u25a0 KOSPI Hits Record High Amid Mixed Overheating Signs: The KOSPI set a new all-time high at 7,844.01, with Morgan Stanley presenting a year-end ceiling of 9,500 and 10,000 under a bullish scenario. However, overheating signals coexist as investor deposits reached a record 137.4174 trillion won and credit loan balances again surpassed 36 trillion won.<\/p>\n

[News of Interest to Stock Investors]<\/p>\n

1. 6.79x vs. 6.77x\u2026 hynix Overtakes Samsung in Valuation for First Time<\/a><\/p>\n

– Key Summary: SK hynix’s annual forward PER for 2026 reached 6.79 times based on the day’s closing price, surpassing Samsung Electronics (6.77 times) for the first time. The 2.80-point gap from three months ago, when Samsung Electronics stood at 8.08 times and SK hynix at 5.28 times, has been reversed in just three months. During this period, Samsung Electronics’ EPS consensus was revised upward by 102.15%, a larger earnings improvement than SK hynix’s 78.76%. However, SK hynix’s one-month stock price gain of 78.68% more than doubled Samsung Electronics’ 35.44%. Analysts say that with Samsung Electronics’ premium as Korea’s top company having disappeared, SK hynix’s valuation rerating has entered its final stage.<\/p>\n

2. One Day of Halt Scraps 22,000 Wafers\u2026 Billions Evaporate Every Minute<\/a><\/p>\n

– Key Summary: As Samsung Electronics’ first general strike since its founding becomes imminent, industry estimates suggest 22,000 wafers would be scrapped daily, amounting to 650 billion won. Expected strike participants exceed 50,000, or 64% of the DS division workforce, and analysts say that if more than half walk off the job, an immediate halt in factory operations would be virtually inevitable. In fact, a single rally held on the 23rd of last month caused foundry production to plunge 58.1%, and the S1 line slowed by 74.3%. The outcome is expected to hinge on legal and policy variables, including the Suwon District Court’s injunction hearing and whether emergency mediation powers will be invoked.<\/p>\n

3. KOSPI Breaks Record at 7,844\u2026 Emperor Stocks Rise From 10 to 11<\/a><\/p>\n

– Key Summary: The KOSPI climbed 200.86 points (2.63%) to 7,844.01, setting a new all-time high, while Samsung Electro-Mechanics joined the ranks of “emperor stocks” (those trading above 1 million won per share), bringing their number to a record 11. Technology stocks including semiconductors and robotics led the rally, with Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) surging 9.91%, and Hyundai Mobis (012330.KS) (18.42%) and Hyundai AutoEver (307950.KS) (13.66%) hitting successive new highs. Morgan Stanley presented a year-end KOSPI ceiling of 9,500, rising to 10,000 under a bullish scenario, while JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs previously offered 10,000 and 9,000, respectively. However, with investor deposits hitting a record 137.4174 trillion won and credit loan balances again surpassing 36 trillion won, some diagnoses warn against market overheating.<\/p>\n

[Reference News for Stock Investors]<\/p>\n

4. KDI: “Korea’s Growth Rate This Year at 2.5%\u2026 Low Need for Expansionary Fiscal Stimulus”<\/a><\/p>\n

– Key Summary: The Korea Development Institute (KDI) raised its forecast for Korea’s economic growth this year to 2.5%. The 0.6 percentage point upward revision from the February forecast (1.9%) was attributed to semiconductor exports contributing more than 0.3 percentage points. Driven by the semiconductor super-cycle, this year’s current account surplus is projected to reach a record 239 billion dollars, nearly double last year’s 123.1 billion dollars. KDI stated that with the current economic expansion continuing, the need for additional fiscal stimulus such as a second supplementary budget is low, and also indicated that rate hikes may be necessary if high inflation persists.<\/p>\n

5. Copper Price Breaks $14,000 on Surging Chinese Demand\u2026 ETN Returns Soar<\/a><\/p>\n

– Key Summary: On the London Metal Exchange (LME), three-month copper prices reached 14,021 dollars per ton, rising for seven consecutive trading days to set a new record high. With China’s April exports up 14% year-on-year and shipments of clean energy products holding firm, supply disruption concerns also came to the fore, including the shutdown of Iran’s copper smelter and delayed production recovery at Indonesia’s Grasberg mine. Benefiting from the copper price surge, the Korea Investment Leverage Copper Futures ETN rose 22.76% over the past week, and the TIGER Copper Physical ETF gained 12.27%, ranking among the top-performing commodity products. LS Securities analyzed that with the possibility of U.S. tariffs on refined copper coming into focus, copper prices will attempt to break through their previous peak.<\/p>\n

6. KEPCO Can’t Smile Despite 3.8 Trillion Won Profit\u2026 LNG Price Surge Triggers Year-End “Loss Reversal” Alarm<\/a><\/p>\n

– Key Summary: Korea Electric Power Corp. (015760.KS) posted operating profit of 3.7842 trillion won in the first quarter, extending its profit streak to 11 consecutive quarters, but forecasts suggest the shock from surging LNG prices will be reflected in earnest from the second quarter. As the JKM, a benchmark for LNG prices, holds around 17 dollars per MMBtu\u2014double the pre-war level (10.73 dollars)\u2014May wholesale LNG rates are 10% higher than January, reviving the “high spring, low winter” phenomenon for the first time since 2021. Considering the two-month lag in spot LNG contracts and five-month lag in long-term contracts, a sharp increase in KEPCO’s fuel cost burden in the second and third quarters is unavoidable. Some brokerages forecast that KEPCO could swing to a loss of hundreds of billions of won in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read the full article: KEPCO Can’t Smile Despite 3.8 Trillion Won Profit\u2026 LNG Price Surge Triggers Year-End “Loss Reversal” Alarm<\/p>\n

\u25b6 Read the full article: Countdown to Crisis\u2026 Will Samsung’s Fab Halt for the First Time in 42 Years?<\/p>\n

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