Most of the recent new entrants to the South Korean stock market are trading below their initial public offering (IPO) price, data showed Monday, as investors remain spooked by unfavorable foreign and domestic factors.
Out of the 12 companies that have listed their shares on the main and secondary bourses since November, eight finished below their IPO price as of Friday, while the rest managed to make gains by staying above their issue price, according to the data by the Korea Exchange (KRX).
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A ceremony takes place in the Korea Exchange in Seoul on Nov. 18, 2016, to mark the listing of Doosan Bobcat Co. on the main stock market. (Yonhap) |
The four gainers include Samsung BioLogics, a biopharmaceutical unit of Samsung Group, and Doosan Bobcat Co., an affiliate of power equipment conglomerate Doosan Group.
However, Friday's closing prices of all 12 new faces were lower than the initial prices on their market debut.
The closing price of auto parts maker Hands Corp., the latest entrant to the main stock market, was down 15.74 percent from its market debut price on Friday.
Analysts attributed the poor performance of the new faces in the local bourse to Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election and a deepening political scandal rocking South Korea, which have put a damper on investor sentiment.
Also responsible is the concentration of IPOs in the end of the year, they added. A total 65 South Korean companies have launched their IPOs this year, with 12 getting listed since November. An additional 10 companies are eyeing listings on the tech-heavy secondary stock market by the end of this year. (Yonhap)
