The price of a mainstream 32-inch LCD TV panel plunged to a new historical low this month as most TV manufacturers became more cautious about making purchases amid high inventories and uncertainty over whether the debt crisis in the US and the eurozone would depress end product demand, South Korean market researcher DisplayBank said yesterday.
The outlook for PC and TV panels seems lackluster amid oversupply concerns, DisplayBank said in a report.
China’s top LCD panel maker BOE Technology Group Co (京東方) started producing TV panels from a new eighth-generation line and TCL is also scheduled to launch an eighth-generation production line next quarter, while South Korea’s LG Display Co is scheduled to open a new production line next year, it said.
However, the capacity expansion is in sharp contrast to recent slow demand.
“The focus now is on North American and European [TV] brands, which are still under heavy pressure adjusting inventory,” DisplayBank said.
Chinese brands are also reluctant to replenish inventory ahead of the annual shopping season during the National Day holiday, which usually begins on Oct. 1, DisplayBank said.
Weak end product demand has prompted the price of 32-inch LCD TV panels to drop by US$3 to US$134 this month from US$137 last month, when the price also hit an all-time low, DisplayBank said.
The researcher does not expect a price rebound in the near term, given consistent oversupply and worries about an unsteady global economic recovery, but price declines should slow after falling to most panel suppliers’ cost level, it said.
The price of 42-inch LCD TV panels slid US$3 to US$215 per unit this month, from US$218 at the end of last month, report said.
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