[THE INVESTOR] The global price of DRAM chips rose 5.2 percent on-month in July, data showed on Aug. 3, casting a brighter outlook for Samsung and SK hynix.

According to the data compiled by industry tracker DRAMeXchange, the average contract price for the mainstay DDR4 4Gb 512Mx8 2133MHz came to US$3.25 as of end-July, marking a rise from $3.09 posted a month earlier.

The latest figure also marks a whopping 67.5 percent surge from US$1.94 posted at end-2016.

Samsung and SK hynix currently take up nearly 70 percent of the global market for DRAM products and will be the main beneficiaries.

The two companies enjoyed better-than-expected returns for the April-June period on the back of the current boom. Samsung Electronics posted an operating profit of 8.03 trillion won in the second quarter for its chip business, soaring from 2.64 trillion won posted a year earlier.

SK hynix also said its second-quarter operating profit advanced 573.7 percent on-year to reach a record 3.05 trillion won in the second quarter.

By Alex Lee and newswires (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)