‘Semiconductor and display industry will recover next month,’ say experts

The semiconductor and other information and communication technology (ICT) industries are expected to recover next month, according to a survey of experts. According to the survey of 161 experts in 220 industries by the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade from July 10 through July 14, the manufacturing industry’s PSI was forecasted to be 111 in August, up from 104 in the previous month. The PSI ranges from zero to 200 points, with a figure above 100 and close to 200 signaling economic recovery and a figure close to zero meaning a worsening economy.

The ICT sector has a PSI of 132 forecasted for August, which is 21 points higher than the previous month. This is the highest figure since July 2021, and an increase from the previous month is also higher than in July, which saw an increase of 14 points. This indicates that the economic recovery for the ICT industry, including semiconductors, is getting stronger.

By industry, the semiconductor and display industries show a noticeable improvement. The semiconductor industry has a PSI of 140 for August, which is 21 points higher than the previous month. The display industry’s August PSI is 136 points, up 22 points from the last month. The mobile phone and household appliances industries also saw an increase of 17 points and 21 points, respectively, compared to the previous month.

The manufacturing industry’s PSI has been over the threshold of 100 points for four consecutive months. In the August forecast, domestic demand (104), export (114), and investment (103) are all above the threshold, except for production (99). However, the current PSI of the manufacturing industry in July is 99, three points lower than the previous month and below the threshold.


kalssam35@donga.com