Memory chip prices extend losses

Prices of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips lost ground in the second half of this month from two weeks ago, industry data showed Tuesday, adding further pressure to chipmakers' earnings. According to DRAMeXchange Technology Inc., the spot price of the benchmark DDR3 1-gigabit 128Mx8 1066-megahertz DRAM chips fell 5.71 percent to US$0.92 in the second half of this month, compared with $0.98 in the first half. The Taiwan-based market researcher announces prices of memory chips twice a month. The price marks the second-lowest level this year. The benchmark DRAM chip fell as low as $0.88 earlier this year and then hit $1.02 in May, fanning hopes that personal computer demand could hike slumping chip prices. But the price pulled back again this month, dashing expectations for a revival in the chip industry. Other DRAM products also fell between 5 and 6 percent in the second half of this month from two weeks ago, according to DRAMeXchange. Investors feared that sustained declines in chip prices would further hurt the bottom lines of chip makers down the road. Shares of Samsung Electronics Co., the world's top maker of computer memory chips, fell 0.36 percent from the previous session on the Seoul bourse on Friday. Its smaller rival Hynix Semiconductor Inc. sank 4.31 percent.