Samsung group now worth 524.2 trillion won

The market value of Samsung Group has risen more than 10 percent this year on a strong rally in tech-focused affiliates, a market tracker said.

The combined market capitalization of Samsung Electronics and 15 other listed firms belonging to Korea’s largest chaebol came to 524.2 trillion won ($443 billion) as of Friday, up 10.2 percent from end-December, according to FnGuide.

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest memory chip manufacturer, and seven other Samsung units saw their market caps rise over the cited period, with the remainder suffering setbacks.

The market value of Samsung Electronics, also the No. 1 smartphone maker in the world, climbed 10.8 percent to 368.9 trillion won.

Major rechargeable battery maker Samsung SDI posted the biggest gain of 42.8 percent. Samsung BioLogics, Samsung C&T and Samsung Electro-Mechanics saw their market caps expand at a double-digit rate.

The combined market cap of SK Group edged up 2.6 percent to 133.5 trillion won, with SK hynix logging an 11.1 percent increase amid expectations for an improvement in chip business.

LG Group saw the total market value of its 13 listed units grow 10.1 percent to slightly over 93 trillion won.

Other top 10 groups suffered declines. The combined market value of Hyundai Motor Group units fell 1.2 percent to 86.9 trillion won, while its flagship Hyundai Motor registered a 10.8 percent rise.

Earlier this month, Hyundai Motor briefly halted production at its domestic plants due to a shortage of China-sourced parts.

Stung by the coronavirus outbreak, the retail and food conglomerate Lotte Group chalked up the largest drop, with its market cap sinking 10.2 percent to 18.6 trillion won.

Yonhap