“Breaking below issue price” (commonly referred to as “breaking the issue price” or “breaking”) refers to the phenomenon where the market trading price of newly issued stocks falls below their issue price after listing. Specifically, if a company issues new shares through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or secondary offering, and the trading price of these new shares in the secondary market is lower than the determined issue price, this situation is known as “breaking.”
Reasons for Breaking
Poor Market Environment:
If the entire market is in a bearish trend or declining phase, new shares are likely to break due to the overall market’s pessimistic sentiment.
Poor Company Fundamentals:
If investors doubt the company’s profitability, growth prospects, and management team, it leads to insufficient demand for the new shares.
Overpriced Issuance:
If the issue price is set too high, beyond the market’s reasonable valuation of the company, investors are unwilling to buy the new shares at that price, leading to a break.
Supply and Demand Imbalance:
If the number of new shares issued is too large while the market funds are limited, excess supply leads to a price drop.
Lack of Investor Confidence:
Negative news about the company or industry can damage investor confidence.
Impact of Breaking
Impact on Company Image:
Breaking is usually seen as the market not recognizing the company’s value and prospects, negatively affecting the company’s brand and trust in the management.
Impact on Investors:
Investors who subscribed to the new shares face losses, which may lower their sentiment and potentially lead to dissatisfaction with the company and market.
Impact on Future Financing:
Severe breaking can affect the company’s future financing capability, increasing the cost of financing and even making it difficult to raise funds effectively in the capital market.
Case Analysis
Alibaba Group (BABA):
Alibaba listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014 at $68 per share but experienced breaking several times in the following period.
Snap Inc. (SNAP):
Snap Inc. listed in 2017 at $17 per share but soon its stock price fell below the issue price, attracting widespread market attention.
How to Handle Breaking
For Investors:
Investors should conduct thorough research and risk assessment, and avoid blindly following others to buy new shares.
Diversify investments to reduce risk, instead of concentrating all funds in a single new share.
For Companies:
When determining the issue price, companies should fully consider the market environment and investor demand to avoid overpricing.
Enhance company information disclosure and communication with investors to boost market confidence in the company.
For Market Regulators:
Regulators should strengthen supervision over the new share issuance process, ensuring transparent and fair issuance information, preventing market manipulation and information asymmetry.
In summary, breaking is a common market phenomenon reflecting the market’s attitude towards new share pricing and company prospects. Both companies and investors need to remain rational in the process of new share issuance and trading, and make full preparations and risk management.