Home > Business > Economy

Earnings of Kospi-listed companies skyrocket last year

Published: 02 Apr. 2025, 18:11

This photo, taken Feb. 1, 2025, shows stacks of shipping containers at a port in Busan, about 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul. [YONHAP]

Companies listed on the main bourse reported a sharp rise in their earnings last year, data showed Wednesday, with techs and financials leading the overall gains.

According to the data compiled by the Korea Exchange, 614 firms on the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) that closed their books in December posted an 82 percent on-year rise in their bottom lines last year at 142.81 trillion won (US$97.5 billion), with their operating income also surging 62 percent on-year to 196.82 trillion won.

Their sales advanced 5.4 percent to 2,918 trillion won, the data showed.

The ratio of operating income to sales rose by 2.34 percentage points to 6.74 percent, and that of net profit to sales gained 2.05 percentage points to 4.89 percent.

The number of firms that reported a profit reached 477 in 2024, up from the previous year's 456, according to the data.

Listed firms are expected to enjoy decent earnings this year, as chipmakers and other tech firms will likely see a recovery in their exports in line with a recovery in the Chinese economy.

But the U.S. administration's tariff policies will remain downside risks to their businesses, watchers said.

Yonhap