Daewoo E&C posted large losses, but why is it surging? | Cha Young-joo, Director of Wise Economic Research Institute

대우건설, 대규모 손실 기록했지만 급등하는 이유 | 차영주 와이즈경제연구소 소장 [집중 오늘의 주식]
Watch on YouTube ↗  |  February 10, 2026 at 10:26  |  39:21  |  3PRO TV (삼프로TV)
Speakers
Cha Young-joo — Director, Wise Economic Research Institute

Summary

Cha Young-joo, director at Wise Economic Research Institute, reviews recent analyst reports on Daewoo E&C, NAVER, Jeju Air, and Hyundai Motor. The main theme is distinguishing real earnings turnarounds from narrative-driven stock moves, especially around big-bath accounting, nuclear orders, platform AI monetization, airline route restructuring, and robotics optionality.

  • Daewoo E&C's Q4 provisions were read as a big-bath cleanup, with next-year earnings recovery and Czech nuclear orders in focus; the speaker cautions the 20% jump may be overdone short term.
  • NAVER's commerce growth was offset by weak platform ads and lower search-commerce profitability; AI-driven efficiency is framed as necessary for a re-rating, while recent moves look event-driven.
  • Jeju Air was highlighted as a turnaround candidate after a Hold-to-Buy upgrade, helped by route shifts toward Japan short-haul, improving fares, and asset sales to ease liquidity concerns.
  • Hyundai Motor was discussed through KB's robotics and valuation lens: Atlas progress could support a robotics premium, but the stock looks differently valued depending on whether the anchor is automakers or Tesla.
  • The speaker repeatedly emphasizes checking whether a report's narrative actually appears in the income statement rather than being only a headline story.
Ideas
Cha Young-joo Director, Wise Economic Research Institute 0:29
Big-bath turnaround, nuclear optionality; await pullback
Daewoo E&C's large Q4 2025 loss was read as a big-bath cleanup: Iraq/Singapore civil works, Nigeria plant work and unsold-housing bad debt drove large provisions, but the company can still show an earnings rebound because housing margin is improving, the own-project mix is rising, and it targets a Czech nuclear order in H1. The stock jumped about 20% on the turnaround and nuclear narrative, yet the speaker warns the move is too fast for such a heavy catalyst and says additional buying should wait for a pullback.
Cha Young-joo Director, Wise Economic Research Institute 18:29
Platforms need AI catalyst; watch execution
NAVER's Q4 commerce growth came mainly from higher commissions, while platform ad growth was weak, search-commerce profitability declined, and enterprise/cloud growth slowed; recent stock strength was tied more to Coupang disruption, dawn-delivery competition and crypto-bill hopes than to fundamentals. The speaker's view is that NAVER and Kakao need an AI-driven plus-alpha catalyst in advertising, commerce efficiency or GPU-based B2C engagement before their ad-dependent growth can justify a re-rating, so investors should watch for execution rather than chase the current narrative.
Cha Young-joo Director, Wise Economic Research Institute 26:16
Route shift drives turnaround; liquidity easing
Jeju Air was upgraded from Hold to Buy with a KRW 8,500 target based on forward BPS/asset value. It returned to profit despite difficult industry conditions by shifting routes toward high-margin short-haul Japan routes and cutting unprofitable Southeast Asia routes; rising international fares, asset sales including the AK Holdings stake and possible 737-800 disposals, and positive 2026 operating cash flow should ease liquidity concerns. With market cap near pandemic lows, the speaker sees clear turnaround upside.
Cha Young-joo Director, Wise Economic Research Institute 34:05
Robotics optionality may re-rate Hyundai
KB's report frames Hyundai Motor through robotics and physical AI: the Atlas robot video shows real-time control and balance beyond simple pre-programmed motion, suggesting long-term manufacturing innovation potential. If Hyundai is compared with Tesla as a robotics company, it still looks undervalued; if it is judged only as an ordinary automaker, the valuation is less compelling. The speaker treats this as a valuation-anchor debate and a setup to monitor rather than a clean buy call.
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This 3PRO TV (삼프로TV) video, published February 10, 2026, features Cha Young-joo discussing 047040.KS, 035420.KS, 035720.KS, 089590.KS, 005380.KS. 4 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Cha Young-joo  · Tickers: 047040.KS, 035420.KS, 035720.KS, 089590.KS, 005380.KS