BIZCHINA / Center

Shanghai to widen daily price band
By Li Xiaowei (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-06-14 11:44

The move would attract more funds, especially from institutional investors, into blue chip stocks and boost the index as a whole, according to analysts.

"Increased liquidity for the 50 blue chip stocks would boost their market multiples, many of which are relatively low as compared to developed markets," said Wu Jianxiong, an analyst with Guotai Jun'an Securities.

Allowing investors to buy and sell stocks on the same day will provide investors with greater flexibility to take advantage of short-term swings in share prices, while margin trading will give them the leverage to play the market, said analysts.

Currently all stock trades on the mainland market are settled on the next business day following a transaction. Only stock warrants are allowed to be traded on the same day.

"Given the tremendous popularity of stock warrants, we could imagine what a big impact the proposed trading rule would have on the market," said Chen Li, a analyst with Shenyin Wanguo Securities.

Since the introduction of stock warrants in August last year, the combined turnover in Shanghai and Shenzhen has overtaken Hong Kong, making the Chinese mainland the biggest market for the investment instrument.

The latest trading indicates that the combined turnover in stock warrants on the China market now equals stock warrants traded everywhere else in the world put together.

However, the proposed same-day trading is expected to apply only to a selected number of stocks, said Chen.

The Shanghai bourse revealed these trading plans a day after it released its first-ever market quality report, which has provided the basis for further improvement, said the exchange official Liu.


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