Prices for certain LCD TV panels are expected to rebound next quarter as rising seasonal demand helps balance oversupply, which will help underpin overall prices of larger panels, market researcher WitsView said yesterday.
Prices for flat panels, such as 43-inch and 55-inch TV panels, are likely to benefit from the up-swing, as prices are to climb for a second quarter because supply is limited due to technology bottlenecks, the Taipei-based researcher said.
WitsView is a flat-panel research team of TrendForce Corp (集邦科技).
“Some TV vendors started double-booking earlier than usual to cope with the peak season, as they are concerned about a shortage of 39.5-inch and 40-inch TV panels. They are requesting an increase in supply,” TrendForce said.
Early this year, TV vendors faced supply constraints for mainstream 39.5-inch and 40-inch TV panels after a powerful earthquake hit Taiwan in February and damaged Innolux Corp’s (群創) plants and supply from Samsung Electronics Co was scarce due to technology changes, the researcher said.
The price increases for those TV panels are expected to help stabilize prices of overall TV and PC flat panels next quarter, compared with this quarter, the researcher said.
Seasonal demand is expected to boost prices of the two types of TV panels next quarter, as well as 43-inch TVs, WitsView said.
The price increases will help boost revenues of flat-panel manufacturers in the third quarter from the current quarter, it said.
The researcher declined to comment whether the price increase would help panel makers return to profit next quarter.
Seasonal demand is expected to cause supply to exceed demand by a mere 0.6 percent next quarter, the researcher said.
Supply is to exceed demand by 5.1 percent in the current quarter, as the world’s major flat-panel makers, including AU Optronics Corp (友達光電), are increasing supplies this quarter as they are seeing an uptick in panel prices, WitsView said.
In the first quarter, supply surpassed demand by only 1.5 percent, the researcher said.
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