[Yonhap News Photo]
Shares of South Korean blue-chip leader Samsung Electronics hit a record high Thursday, leading other listed firms which have also posted better-than-expected corporate earnings in the second quarter of this year.
The world's largest smartphone maker rose 4.73 percent to close at 1.64 million won (1,480 US dollars), setting a new record in its closing price. The previous record was 1.58 million won set on January 3, 2013.
Samsung has been favored by investors since its second-quarter operating profit beat market expectations to jump 18 percent from a year earlier. Local brokerages predicted the tech giant would post an operating profit of more than 30 trillion won this year on strong demand for new smartphones.
Samsung's rise has been helped by strong sales of its Galaxy S7 smartphone series. The company's new flagship Galaxy Note 7 smartphone has received a good market response at home and abroad.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajuanews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
