Samsung warns of sharp sales and profit decline
https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/8/18173364/samsung-earnings-guidance-q4-2018-warning
Samsung Electronics recorded its highest ever profits last quarter, but three months on things aren’t looking so great. The company issued guidance today warning that revenue and profits for the three months ending December 31st 2018 will be sharply down year-on-year. Samsung expects sales of about 59 trillion won (about $52.5 billion), down 11 percent from 12 months prior, while operating profit is set to drop 29 percent to about 10.8 trillion won (about $9.6 billion).
The forecast has shocked investors and analysts, which CNBC notes were expecting 13.2 trillion won of operating profit from 62.8 trillion in revenue. Unusually, Samsung has issued a statement explaining its guidance; the company normally waits for the full earnings release before commenting on its performance in detail.