Samsung Electronics should just about be able to absorb an expense
I think you'll find that the accounting rules will make it much easier to absorb than the current numbers being bandied about suggest. Hence, the stock seems more sensitive to movements by Elliott Capital than anything else.
No, for Samsung, while the write-offs will be painful, what's most important is the PR around how this is handled and how they can prevent similar problems in the future. And in this I agree with you: Samsung's success is important to the whole sector.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
