Alongside the launch of several Asian initial public offerings in quick succession this week some of which are returning after failing to get enough interest earlier in the year a number of block trades and top-up placements has also been keeping bankers busy. The pickup in activity suggests that market sentiment is improving somewhat, although it could also be a question of issuers and sellers trying to grab the window of opportunity while it is there, in case it doesn’t last.
Indeed, the fact that several IPOs that have come to market over the past couple of months are still trading below issue price, is making...