[THE INVESTOR] Korean companies’ sales expanded at the fastest pace in four years in 2017, a central bank report said Mon May 28.
The combined sales of non-financial firms in the country grew 9.9 percent in 2017, up sharply from a 1.1 percent gain in the previous year, according to the report from the Bank of Korea.
It marked the largest on-year growth since 2013, when the central bank started to compile such data.
Their operating profit to sales ratio also reached a four-year high of 7.4 percent last year, accelerating from 6.2 percent a year earlier, while their debt ratio dropped to 92.3 percent from 98.2 percent over the cited period.
Manufacturing companies saw their sales expand 9.8 percent on-year in 2017, turning around from a 1.4 percent drop in 2016 and a 4.2 percent fall in 2015. Their operating profit rate also widened to 8.4 percent last year from 6.5 percent.
The sales tally for non-manufacturing companies built up to 9.9 percent last year from the previous year‘s 4.4 percent, with their operating profit rate hitting 5.9 percent.
By Song Seung-hyun and newswires (
ssh@heraldcorp.com)