Samsung's operating profit rises 15%, a sharp slowdown

Hong Kong

LAST year, with smartphone sales sagging, Samsung Electronics said that it would orchestrate a turnaround using the components that power electronics - things like chips, screens and circuits.

Indeed, for much of 2015, Samsung was able to buck weak prices for memory chips in part because of more advanced technology, for which it charges a premium despite lower production costs. But prices for those items flagged recently, sinking hopes of a recovery.