ALL-ROUND SLUMP: This year’s IPOs might reach an 11-year low, but other countries have also seen declines, with global IPOs dropping 35.2% annually in the first half

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 25, 2019
By: Chen Cheng-hui  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan’s initial public offering (IPO) activity might slow this year compared with last year, as the number of IPOs as of the end of last month was 31, down 36 percent from the 49 registered in the same period last year, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, quoting unnamed Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) officials.

Compared with the whole of last year, this year’s IPOs might also reach a new 11-year low, the commission said, attributing the disappointing performance to fluctuations caused by international political and economic situations that have also negatively influenced new listings through IPOs in other countries, the Liberty Times reported.

Citing World Federation of Exchanges statistics, the commission said that the number of global IPOs declined 35.2 percent in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year, with declines reported across all regions.

Asia-Pacific was down 32.7 percent; North America was down 22.3 percent; and Europe, the Middle East and Africa were down 55.4 percent, it said.    [FULL  STORY]