POSCO Holdings faces unfavorable outlook in Q3
By Lee Kyung-min The third-quarter earnings outlook of POSCO Holdings will not be as rosy as the second quarter's, as indicated by the falling prices of steel products over the past few weeks, according to market watchers, Thursday. This is compounded by a moderate increase in supply and concerns over an economic recession fanning an industrywide slowdown. Leading the bleak outlook is decreased demand due to prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and seasonal weather factors including floods. Also at play is an increasing number of Chinese steelmakers resuming factory operations after the Beijing Winter Olympics ended.The downside risks failed to offset a raw materials sector boom brought on and sustained by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, leading to revisions of earlier upbeat market outlooks by many market watchers. POSCO Holdings said Thursday that its sales in the April-June period on a consolidated basis stood at 23 trillion won ($17.5 billion), up 25.7 percent from a year earlier. Operating profit came in at 2.1 trillion won, down 4.5 percent. Net income was 1.8 trillion won
