▲ LG Display Co. showcases an 8-inch foldable OLED display at CES 2023 in Las Vegas on Jan. 3, 2023, in this file photo provided by the panel maker. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) LG Display-Q4 earnings

(LEAD) LG Display extends quarterly operating losses on falling sales

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SEOUL, Jan. 27 (Yonhap) -- LG Display Co. reported its third consecutive quarterly loss Friday on weak demand for its panel products and falling prices.

The major panel maker reported an operating loss of 875.7 billion won (US$709.3 million) for the fourth quarter, compared with a profit of 476.4 billion won a year ago, as high inflation and rate hikes continued to sap consumers' appetite for tech gadgets.

It posted a net loss of 2.09 trillion won for the October-December period, swinging from a profit of 179.5 billion won a year earlier. Sales fell 17.1 percent to 7.3 trillion won.

The operating loss was 11.8 percent higher than the average estimate, according to a survey by Yonhap Infomax, the financial data firm of Yonhap News Agency.

LG Display went into a deficit in the second quarter for the first time in two years as a pandemic-driven boom in IT devices ended amid rising prices and interest rates.

Demand has been falling rapidly over the past several months for liquid-crystal display (LCD) and premium organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels. Poor macroeconomic conditions have also caused enterprise demand to slow.

According to research firm Canalys, global shipments of desktops and notebooks fell 16 percent on-year to 285.1 million units last year. Smartphone shipments also declined by 11 percent to fewer than 1.2 billion last year

The research firm predicted the challenging environment for the PC industry to continue until the second half of the year, and flat to marginal growth for the smartphone market this year.

For all of 2022, LG Display reported a net loss of 3.19 trillion won, swinging from a profit of 1.33 trillion won a year earlier.

Its operating loss came in at 2.08 trillion won for the year, compared with a profit of 2.23 trillion won a year ago. Annual revenue fell 12.5 percent to 26.15 trillion won.

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