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Samsung's ninefold profit

Business · Heat 3.7 / 10 · 4 shows · 23m airtime

Samsung reported preliminary results on October 8 with operating profit up ninefold to about $80 billion, while TSMC reported revenue up 51%. Citi forecasts HBM4 prices could rise as much as 100% next year, and the two companies' cash piles are now compared to central bank foreign exchange reserves. The discussion has moved to the market's reaction and to what shareholders get: Korea's KOSPI fell 5.5% and Samsung dropped more than 7% in the chip sell-off, and Samsung says it will withhold details of its shareholder return plan until early next year.

How 4 podcasts covered it

  1. Bloomberg Tech, 2026-10-08 (14:10 to 16:05)
    Walks through Samsung results and HBM4 forecasts
    Walks through Samsung's preliminary results and TSMC's 51% revenue jump, then the memory pricing forecasts: research firms see a 10% to 20% third-quarter rise and Citi sees HBM4 up as much as 100% next year.
    New angle: Citi forecasts HBM4 prices could rise as much as 100% next year.
  2. Big Take, 2026-10-12 (5:07 to 7:08)
    Compares chipmaker cash to FX reserves
    Zooms out from the earnings numbers to the macro picture: TSMC and Samsung cash piles now rival central bank FX reserves, and former IMF economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas warns the AI build-out is funded from abroad and carries a duration problem.
    New angle: TSMC and Samsung cash piles are rivaling central bank foreign exchange reserves.
  3. Prof G Markets, 2026-10-14 (17:50 to 34:22)
    Extends Samsung to the chip sell-off
    Extends the Samsung story to the wider chip sell-off: Korea's KOSPI down 5.5%, Samsung off more than 7%, SK Hynix and Micron lower, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index down a fifth straight day. Luria argues earnings and guidance across the AI value chain are still strong and the jitters are about what comes after the next twelve months.
    New angle: Korea's KOSPI fell 5.5% and Samsung dropped more than 7% in the chip sell-off.
  4. WSJ What's News, 2026-10-29 (7:44 to 10:31)
    Rounds up earnings led by Samsung's record
    Rounds up the day's earnings, leading with Samsung's fourth straight record quarter and the detail that it is holding back its shareholder return plan until early next year, set against SK Hynix's $75 billion return. Shell, Ford, Volkswagen, Geely and eBay get a line each.
    New angle: Samsung will withhold details of its shareholder return plan until early next year.
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