--
Related Articles
US Markets
China Reported Industrial Profits Show Strength in March
Despite trade tariffs and rising oil prices, China's large industrial enterprises, especially the tech-oriented sectors, earned strong profits in March, reported the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday.In the month of March, industrial profits in China rose 15.8% on year, largely on the back of private-sector enterprises, said the NBS. The agency's survey is limited to outfits with more than $2.9 million a year in revenue.For the full first quarter, the profits of large-scale industrial enterprises nationwide increased by 15.5% on year.In the first quarter, profits at state-owned industrial companies rose 10.1% on year, while black ink at private manufacturers rose 25.4% on year.In another category, the joint-stock, or publicly traded, industrial enterprises, profits rose 20.9% on year in the first quarter.By industry, the mining sector achieved an on-year profit hike of 16.2% in the first quarter, and the manufacturing industry a gain 19.1%.From January through March, earnings at computer, communication, and other electronic-equipment manufacturers jumped by 120% on year, reported the NBS.In the chemical sector, the bottom line swelled by 54.5%, the coal mining and washing industry grew by 6.7%, while the petroleum, coal, and other fuel processing industry "turned from loss to stable", reported Beijing officials.Despite a strong industrial profit result in the first quarter, the NBS warned that uncertainties in the external environment remain elevated and that imbalances between supply and demand, that is, over-capacity, still need to be addressed, reported the state-run China.org.cn.
$^HSI$^SSEC
Asia Markets
South Korean Shares Close at New High on Chip, Power Equipment Gains
South Korean shares closed at a new high on Monday, with the primary index crossing the 6,600 level amid a rally led by chip stocks and power equipment manufacturers.The Korea Composite Stock Price Index or Kospi rose 139.4 points, or 2.2%, to end at 6,615.03. The Kosdaq also increased by 22.34 points, or 1.9%, to close at 1,226.18.Shares of chipmakers such as Samsung Electronics (KRX:005930) and SK Hynix (KRX:000660) added over 2% and nearly 6% at market close, while those of Kosdaq-listed Fadu (KOSDAQ:440110) jumped over 19%.Gains were also driven by shares of power equipment manufacturers LS Electric (KRX:010120) and Hyosung Heavy Industries (KRX:298040), which added nearly 13% and 11%, respectively.In corporate news, Fadu posted first-quarter net income of 10.2 billion won, rebounding from a net loss of 12.1 billion won a year earlier, according to a Monday filing with the Korea Exchange.The South Korean chipmaker's sales revenue surged 210% year over year to 59.5 billion won from 19.2 billion won.
$^KOSDAQ$^KS11$KOSDAQ:440110$KRX:000660$KRX:005930$KRX:010120$KRX:298040
Asia
UCO Bank's Fiscal Q4 Profit Rises
UCO Bank (NSE:UCOBANK, BOM:532505) net profit rose to 8.01 billion Indian rupees in the fiscal fourth quarter from 6.52 billion rupees a year ago, according to a Saturday filing to the Indian stock exchanges.Earnings per share during the quarter ended March 31 climbed to 0.64 rupees from 0.56 rupees last year.Interest earned by the lender in fiscal Q4, however, slipped to 66.6 billion rupees from 67.4 billion rupees a year earlier.The bank's board also recommended a dividend of 0.44 rupees per share for the financial year 2025-26.
$BOM:532505$NSE:UCOBANK