SCIO briefing on the reform and development of the capital market

People's Daily and its website:

Mr. Liu, you mentioned at the 2017 National Securities and Futures Regulation Work Conference that there are no confrontations between the stability of stock indices and the efforts of financing. Many investors are particularly concerned about IPO issues. How do you see relations between IPO and stock indices, and how will you solve what is called the "dammed lake" phenomenon?

Liu Shiyu:

Your question is somewhat sensitive. Certainly some people have worried that the increasing number of IPOs might affect the secondary market. In the past, when the capital market was facing heavy downward pressure, we reduced and even suspended IPOs to try to stabilize the market and ease the downward pressure. Those measures were effective for the moment but failed to be so in the long run. This is because they didn't improve the mechanism for the capital market's stable and long-term development, didn’t address the source of problems in the capital market nor enhance the capital market's ability to serve the real economy.

Surely, at a certain, fixed point of time, increasing IPOs will affect the supply and demand in the secondary market, but it will at the same time improve the average price-earnings ratio. In comparison, when seen over a period of time, the capital market’s fundamental driving force is serving the real economy and sharing its growth. A capital market detached from the development level of the real economy cannot last long. To make it last, there have to be new companies filling in to increase market liquidity and hence attract more capital. When the investment value goes up, the social confidence will enhance, too.

Since last year, the CSRC has been continuously strengthening its communication with the market. The mainstream opinion is that after the abnormal fluctuations, the capital market made a better self-recovery than it was expected, and thus now possesses the conditions to issue more IPOs in a timely manner. As I mentioned just now, the fundamental principle of our work is to respect the market mechanism and rules, and comply with market demand. In light of this, we stepped up IPO supervisions for the capital market and increased the number of listed companies in the capital market.

Evidence has shown that the practice, which was based on market consensus, was popular and durable. Last year, 280 companies were approved for IPO and 248 actually launched IPOs. Not long ago at the work conference in the CSRC system, I said that we had confidence to solve the so-called "dammed lake" problem. "Damned Lake" is a vivid metaphor for many companies lining up for dawdling IPO approvals.

In addition, there seems to be an expectation in the market that the long queue of IPO approvals as well as the sudden IPO of several new companies would send the market index downward. Bearing this in mind, when people see the number of companies waiting for an IPO increase from 500 to 600 or even 700, they tend to be excessively anxious about the secondary market. This is to say the number doesn't matter as much as the psychological effect on the investors.

I mentioned just now that we once suspended IPO when the stock market was moving downward, which twisted the psychological expectations of the market. We spent all of last year managing to correct the twisted expectations. Certainly, the key wasn't in how many companies were approved. Some friends from the press asked why only eight companies launched an IPO this week, whereas in that week, there were 14. I replied by saying that eight plus 14 divided by two is 11. I mean to say it isn't about the number of IPOs we approved but the qualities of companies applying for IPOs.

Last year, we made great efforts to enhance supervision of the soundness of IPO applicants, refinancing, merges and restructuring. We held IPO floaters and sponsors more accountable. Soon after you may see that the CSRC will publish some cases that have a large impact.

Last year, we required brokerages to shoulder their responsibilities in risk management. A total of 90 listed companies and sponsors voluntarily withdrew from companies queuing for IPO approval. It takes the joint effort of all to guard quality. High-quality listed companies would bring capital increments for the market, which is proven as a highly positive correlation.

Certainly, we are more prepared to deal with the "dammed lake" problem. Not only do our two bourses in Shanghai and Shenzhen have a better accommodating ability for new companies, the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ) has more and more noticeable functions, ready to play a larger role. The regional equity market has clarified legal status and operation rules, which will help it play a correspondingly active role to solve the equity financing difficulties faced by local small-and-micro enterprises. When standardized merges and reorganizations are also an option, the capital market will have increasingly higher accommodation capabilities to corporate equity financing, resulting in listed companies whose qualities are increasingly higher.

In addition, you could assume another perspective in your way of looking at the number of companies queuing for IPOs. China is a developing major country, meaning that the innovation strategies being implemented will send more and more companies to be listed. This isn't a bad thing, but rather a good thing, because it's a reflection of China's economic vitality, and the source of flowing water for the development of China's capital market.