SEOUL - SAMSUNG Electronics has recorded its first quarterly net loss amid falling prices for key products and weak consumer demand resulting from the global economic slump.
Samsung lost 20 billion won (S$30 million) in the three months ended Dec 31, the company said in a regulatory filing. Samsung posted 2.21 trillion won in net profit a year earlier.
The company is the world's largest manufacturer of flat screen televisions, memory chips and liquid crystal displays. It ranks second in mobile phones.
The result was better than expected. The average forecast of 10 analysts surveyed by The Associated Press had expected a net loss 92.93 billion won.
The result was Samsung's first net loss since the company began reporting results on a quarterly basis in 2000. -- AP
