What has happened to Malaysia’s primary equity markets? Once the darling of ECM departments, featuring highly successful multi-billion dollar offerings by the likes of Petronas Chemicals, Felda Global Ventures or IHH Healthcare, the Southeast Asia nation now languishes at the bottom of the regional league tables. read
As negotiators were busy hammering a provisional deal with Iran’s diplomats over its nuclear facilities, in a bold move, I travelled to the Islamic republic — and returned impressed. The country could well be on the cusp of major changes, but also presents interesting similarities (and differences) with China. read
Just as China’s domestic markets have finally started to open up through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect scheme, heavily discounted H-share IPOs threaten to put a damper on the attractiveness of A-shares to international investors. read
I presented today on IPOs to members and guests of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. read
There seems to be no end in sight for the Asian ECM bout of depression. Above all, it’s been a pretty miserable year so far for IPOs, in sharp contrast to new listings activity in other parts of the world. read
As expected, it hasn’t all been plain sailing for Asian IPOs so far in 2015. Macro events, chiefly in Greece and the Middle East, have taken their toll on regional issuance, as have increasing worries about China’s property sector. Even the mighty Alibaba hasn’t been immune to the doom and gloom, its share price in free-fall over a regulatory enquiry. read
2014 has come and gone, with a fairly honourable tally for Asia’s busy ECM desks. According to Dealogic, last year’s ECM volume on Asia ex-Japan exchanges, and excluding China’s A-share markets, was just under US$135 billion, more than in each of 2013 and 2012. read
I was back in CNBC’s HK studio this morning to comment on the nuclear energy provider’s listing on HKEx. read
I was interviewed by Reuters TV anchor Pamela Ambler this morning, on the Chinese property developer’s proposed listing in the City, potentially the largest on HKEx this year after that of CGN Power, which starts trading tomorrow. read
Forget about reindeer with shiny noses, fir trees and shopping mall carols. For those in the finance industry, the end of the year takes an altogether different meaning. read
