The impact of foreign strategic and corporate investors on H-share IPO performance

Abstract

Since 1993, foreign institutional investors (strategic and corporate) have been permitted to invest in Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong as H-shares. We examine the impact of strategic and corporate investors on H-shares before, during, and after their IPOs. We observe that strategic and corporate investors select their investment candidates based on specific pre-IPO firm characteristics. The certification effect of corporate investors generates a significantly positive effect on outside investor demand. In addition, the presence of foreign institutional investors, particularly strategic investors, and post-IPO performance are positively related. Overall, we document a positive effect of foreign institutional investors on H-firms.