삼성전자 2분기 영업이익 8조1천억원…'어닝서프라이즈'<br /><br />Samsung Electronics beat its quarterly earnings forecast for the second quarter.<br />However, the South Korean tech giant's report card for the period was mixed.<br />Operating profit was up on-year, but sales headed south.<br />Kim Jae-hee reports.<br />Samsung Electronics' earnings in the second quarter beat expectations,... thanks to solid demand for semiconductor chips as the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged more of a non-contact lifestyle.<br />The tech giant said Tuesday that its operating profit for the April to June period was an estimated six-point-eight billion U.S. dollars.<br />That's a 22-point-seven-three percent increase from the same period last year when it was roughly five-and-a-half billion dollars.<br />Samsung's operating profit also rose 25-point-five-eight percent compared to the previous quarter.<br />But COVID-19-induced shutdowns dragged down Samsung's overall sales.<br />They fell 7-point-three-six percent on-year to an estimated 43-point-6 billion dollars.<br />Compared to the previous quarter, sales were down more than 6 percent.<br />Samsung's better-than-expected semiconductor business appears to be behind the company's overall performance in the second quarter.<br />Demand for semiconductors remained solid with more people working from home, and students taking online classes.<br />Even Samsung's sluggish mobile and consumer electronics businesses beat forecasts, with watchers saying they could be on the road to recovery.<br />More details will be out when Samsung releases its finalized figures later this month.<br />Despite the surprise earnings in the second quarter, market watchers say that, with the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, and the increasingly bitter U.S.-China relationship, it's difficult to be sure the semiconductor industry will remain as upbeat for the remaining two quarters.<br />Kim Jae-hee, Arirang News.<br /><br />
