Sony H1 net profit dives on strong yen, unit sale

Japan's Sony said today its fiscal first half net profit dived as it was hit by a sharp rally in the yen and losses linked to the sale of its battery business.
The electronics giant, which has been shedding assets as part of a broad restructuring, reported a 26 billion yen (USD 248 million) net profit in the six months through September, down nearly 78 per cent from a year ago.
Revenue during the period fell more than 10 per cent to 3.3 trillion yen "primarily due to the impact of foreign exchange rates", Sony said.
The company said sales in its mobile communications business slumped, while profitability in Sony's memory chip and components businesses also suffered.

That partly offset strong demand for games on its hugely popular PlayStation 4 game console.
Last month, Sony launched its new virtual reality headset, the PlayStation virtual reality (PSVR), in Japan and North America, joining Facebook, Samsung and Google in a market that analysts say could boost the global gaming sector.

PlayStation VR headsets work with PS4 consoles, more than 40 million of which have been sold globally.
Dozens of software titles for the device are in the pipeline, allowing players to fly like an eagle, drive sports cars in high-speed races, and explore castles.
Today's first-half results come a day after Sony warned that it now expected a net profit of 60 billion yen in the year through March 2017, down by a quarter from an earlier forecast.

It cited impairment charges and other costs linked to the sale of its battery division to Apple supplier Murata Manufacturing.
In July, Sony cut its full-year sales forecast -- trimming it to the current 7.4 trillion yen -- as it blamed the surging yen and slower smartphone sales.
Japanese firms have benefited from a weak currency in recent years, which allows them to make their products cheaper overseas.
But the yen, which is seen as a safe bet, shot up since the start of the year as world markets were lashed by wild volatility and as uncertainty over Britain's decision to leave the EU stoked demand for less risky investments.

Sony has also warned that a pair of deadly quakes in Japan in April would also dent its bottom line.
The quakes, which caused major damage in southern Kyushu and claimed dozens of lives, forced Sony to temporarily shutter factories, hitting production and sales.