HONG KONG: Chinese online retail titan Alibaba could raise almost $13 billion in Hong Kong’s biggest IPO for nearly a decade after pricing its shares for the mega sale, reports said on Wednesday.
Asia’s biggest company has called the listing a multi-billion-dollar vote of confidence in the city’s markets as it is wracked by months of violent protests and the China-US trade war, which have sent its economy into recession.
Alibaba will sell 500 million shares to investors at HK$176, according to Bloomberg News, below the maximum HK$188 of its indicative price range. The number eight is considered auspicious in China.
That could rake in $11 billion but if it chooses to use its over-allotment option to sell a further 75 million shares, the firm could make HK$101.2 billion ($12.9 billion), the South China Morning Post said.
Even at the low end, the listing would still be Hong Kong’s largest initial public offering since insurance giant AIA raised $20.5 billion in 2010.
The company had planned to list in the summer but called it off owing to the city’s long-running pro-democracy protests and the China-US trade war.
The firm’s shares are already traded in New York. A second listing in Hong Kong is expected to curry favor with Beijing, which has sought to encourage its current and future big tech firms to list nearer to home after the loss of companies such as Baidu to Wall Street.
Mainland authorities have also stepped up moves to attract such listings, including launching a new technology board in Shanghai in July.
The listing comes after the city’s exchange tweaked the rules to allow double listings, while Chief Executive Carrie Lam had also been pushing Alibaba’s billionaire founder Jack Ma to sell shares in the city.
Alibaba eyes $12.9bn Hong Kong IPO after setting price: reports
Alibaba eyes $12.9bn Hong Kong IPO after setting price: reports
- Asia’s biggest company has called the listing a multi-billion-dollar vote of confidence in the city’s markets
- Alibaba will sell 500 million shares to investors at HK$176, according to Bloomberg News
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 11,167
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Wednesday, losing 46.43 points, or 0.41 percent, to close at 11,167.54.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.88 billion ($1.30 billion), as 66 of the listed stocks advanced, while 192 retreated.
The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased, down 5.52 points, or 0.37 percent, to close at 1,506.55.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 153.40 points, or 0.65 percent, to close at 23,486.52. This comes as 32 of the listed stocks advanced, while 31 retreated.
The best-performing stock was Tourism Enterprise Co., with its share price surging 9.95 percent to SR14.36.
Other top performers included Mobile Telecommunication Co., Saudi Arabia, which saw its share price rise by 5.32 percent to SR11.48, and Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co., which saw a 4.86 percent increase to SR22.89.
On the downside, Almoosa Health Co. was the day’s weakest performer, with its share price falling 4.81 percent to SR150.40.
Dallah Healthcare Co. fell 3.81 percent to SR113.50, while Saudi Research and Media Group dropped 3.44 percent to SR100.90.
On the corporate front, Arabian Plastic Industrial Co. has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with K. K. Nag to explore the establishment of a specialized manufacturing facility for expanded polypropylene products.
According to a Tadawul statement, the agreement sets out initial mutual obligations and rights between the two parties as part of APICO’s broader expansion strategy to increase production capacity and meet rising industrial demand.
The company’s share price rose 1.21 percent to SR43.52 on the parallel market.
