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Microsoft¡¯s much-hyped and as yet unreleased Windows Vista operating system is proving an unexpected barometer of the Korean stock market and the global economy. Witty analysts are calling the new operating system a ¡°window¡± of opportunity for a boom in the Korean and global economy, not just because it directly affects stock prices of related companies but also because it apparently signals that the global economy will bottom out and take an upswing.
Stocks like Samsung Electronics soared last week on Microsoft¡¯s announcement that it finally gave the go-ahead for production of Windows Vista. Experts predict that semiconductor, computer and software companies will benefit from the release. Customers have been holding off from buying new computers until they come equipped with the new OS.
On Tuesday, small and medium-sized related stocks underwent correction after a recent surge but Samsung Electronics climbed 6 percent during the last five sessions while Hynix and LG Electronics up 2.91 percent and 7.5 percent.
JMI, which supplies the U.S. IT giant¡¯s operating systems and software to PC makers here, closed down 4.07 percent on Tuesday after soaring 34 percent over the previous five sessions. Daou Data Systems, whose 20 foreign partners include Microsoft, jumped 4.96 percent.
Daewoo Securities analyst Kim Jung-hoon recalled that the release of Windows 95 in August 1995 and of Windows XP in October 2001each coincided with a trough in the OECD Leading Indicator. The software industry is particularly sensitive to the economic situation and demands an enormous amount of investment, but it is profitable. Therefore, the timing of the release of new products is crucial, Kim said. ¡°Based on previous experiences, Microsoft¡¯s timely release of a beta version of Windows Vista in Singapore on Friday may signal that the global economy has hit rock bottom,¡± he added.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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