Samsung Electronics looks to record profit

Samsung Electronics is expecting a record operating profit of US$5.1 billion for the first quarter of this year.

The South Korean company said the result would be a 97 per cent rise from its operating profit a year earlier.

Samsung did not provide details but the company's smartphone and TV businesses have reportedly had strong sales growth in recent months.

Samsung estimated that its first-quarter sales rose 21.6 per cent from a year earlier.