Shenzhen Transsion Holdings drew a lukewarm response for its HK$3.36 billion (US$428 million) Hong Kong share offering, heightening worries over market sentiment for new listings in the fourth quarter.
The maker of Africa’s bestselling phones closed its bookbuilding on Monday, with preliminary figures showing the offering attracted about 14,000 applications and was oversubscribed roughly 3.5 times, according to people familiar with the matter.
Retail participation in Hong Kong initial public offerings (IPOs) has dropped sharply since September. Out of 12 listings last month, only two – Camsense Technologies and Mech-Mind Robotics Technologies – drew more than 100,000 retail applicants, while Red Avenue New Materials Group recorded the lowest demand with just 12,645, according to the companies’ allotment results.
In contrast, 11 out of 19 listings across July and August topped 100,000 applicants, with Momenta and Basic Semiconductor each surpassing 200,000.