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| ▲ Cars ready to be shipped overseas are seen parked at a port in Pyeongtaek, some 60 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 1, 2026. (Yonhap) |
corporate earnings-outlook
S. Korean corporate earnings to improve in 2026; discrepancies to widen: NICE
SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- Earnings of major South Korean companies are expected to improve this year, but discrepancies between industries are likely to widen, a local credit rating firm said Monday.
The NICE Sales Index, which is calculated based on the 2026 sales estimates of 78 companies, came to 163.3 this year, up 5.6 percent from the previous year's figure, NICE Investors Service Co. said in its report.
The NICE Industry Operating Profit Index, which uses earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) estimates for the companies, came to 10 percent, up 7.8 percent from a year earlier.
The credit rating agency said robust growth of local chipmakers, power suppliers and electronics producers is expected to lead overall growth, amid the United States' effort to exclude China from taking part in its artificial intelligence supply chain.
But industries that are key to the U.S. economy, such as automobiles, could come under downward pressure, it added.
"Sectors, such as cars, could see their demand in the U.S. weaken and competition worsen, amid rising trade barriers and fading effects from pre-tax demands," the agency said in the report.
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