LCD panel prices halt decline

SEOUL, April 22 (Yonhap) -- Prices of liquid crystal display (LCD) panels held steady in the second half of this month after falling 15 months on end, industry data showed Friday, in a sign that the flat screen panel industry is set to snap a downturn. According to market research firm DisplaySearch, the price of 40- to 42-inch LCD panels for full high-definition (HD) TVs stood at US$317 in the second half of April, unchanged from the first half of the same month. It is the first time that the prices haven't gone down since February of last year, according to the company's data. The price of 32-inch LCD panels and 37-inch panels also stayed unchanged, the data showed. Forty-six-inch LCD panels, however, fell $3 or 1 percent from the first half of this month. LCD panels are used for televisions, mobile phones, personal computers and monitors. Prices of TV panels, which account for the biggest portion of revenues for Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Display Co., the world's top two makers of flat-screen display panels, have been trending lower for the past 15 months on weak TV demand and increased output. DisplaySearch said that Chinese TV makers began to increase panel orders ahead of labor holidays and some LCD panel makers have signaled that they will hike panel prices next month.