皇冠体育app

   

BIZCHINA / Top Biz News

皇冠体育app ends yearlong ban on IPOs, issues new rules
(Bloomberg)
Updated: 2006-05-18 08:32

皇冠体育app ended a yearlong ban on initial public offerings today, allowing companies to submit applications for share sales to the securities regulator.

The 皇冠体育app Securities Regulatory Commission issued new rules on initial share sales on its Web site today, after a government program to trade more than $200 billion of mostly state-owned stockholdings was implemented without causing a market slump.

皇冠体育app halted share sales in May last year to prevent a flood of equity as companies converted non-tradable, mostly government holdings into common stock.

Industrial & Commercial Bank of 皇冠体育app and Air 皇冠体育app Ltd. are among the nation's biggest companies that plan to sell domestic shares once the ban is lifted, tapping $1.9 trillion of household savings.

"It's the natural next step," said Geoff Lewis, head of investment services at JF Asset Management Ltd. in Hong Kong, which holds about $73 billion in Asian assets. "It's a testimony to the success of their policy. That's what the A share market is there for, to raise money," he said before the announcement.

Ending the ban may lure some of the $1.9 trillion of Chinese household savings out of banks and into equity markets as companies that are only listed overseas such as Petro皇冠体育app Co. come back home to sell shares.


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