HONG KONG (Dow Jones Investment Banker) – The IPO of China Outfitters Holdings Ltd. that is currently in the market in Hong Kong is a welcome change from the over-priced, billion-dollar deals that have recently made headlines, and is exactly the sort of offering bankers and investors alike should be looking at.
Secondary listings are circling the Hong Kong stock exchange. But why? The exercise is of dubious value to issuer or investor. read
HONG KONG (Dow Jones Investment Banker) – Despite all the hype and the almost weekly announcements of planned billion-dollar deals, retail investors in Hong Kong have largely shunned IPOs since the start of the year.
I was interviewed live on 16 June on Bloomberg Television by London-based anchor Linzie Janis, on the trading debut for Samsonite, following its IPO in Hong Kong. I was separately interviewed for an article on the same subject, written by Bloomberg reporter Fox Hu, which also touched on prospects for the pricing of Prada’s IPO, also in Hong Kong. read
HONG KONG (Dow Jones Investment Banker) – Xiangyu Dredging Holdings Ltd.’s IPO of up to US$105 million should be a pure play on public spending for transportation infrastructure in China. But while that sector is expected to grow significantly in coming years, and the financials are healthy, the structure of the market and the company’s small and relatively stagnant customer base raise issues with respect to the sustainability of its performance.
I was interviewed by Deputy Editor Jasper Moiseiwitsch in the South China Morning Post‘s “Money Post” supplement on 13 June. The article was introduced as “Confessions of an IPO banker” on the cover of the supplement, and the title was “In deal search, simplicity counts”.
Click below to see the interview, which is reproduced with permission.
The Prada growth story is intuitively understood by Hong Kong shoppers. Anyone who has seen the queues at their stylish boutiques has a sense of the profitability and potential of this fashion and luxury goods vendor. read
On 10 June, I gave a presentation to some 180 members of the Hong Kong Securities Institute (HKSI), on “what makes a successful IPO”. read
Those among you who are based in Hong Kong might be interested in two events there next week. read
HONG KONG (Dow Jones Investment Banker) – Hardly a week passes without a new high-end brand announcing its intention to list in Hong Kong, and the financial pages there are fast reading like a luxury shopping mall directory. After Prada S.p.A., Samsonite, Coach Inc. and Jimmy Choo [since agreed to be sold to Austria’s Labelux], Burberry Group PLC, according to a Chinese media report, is said to be considering a quotation in Hong Kong to support its expansion in China. But such a move, which smacks of herd mentality, would not impact trading volumes or improve the valuation of the company.
