Copyright © 2009 Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Chapter 13 Sourcing Equity Globally

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved.

Chapter 13

Sourcing Equity Globally

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. 13-2

Sourcing Equity Globally: Learning Objectives

• Design a strategy to source equity globally• Analyze the motivations and goals of a firm issuing new

equity shares on foreign equity markets• Analyze the motivations and goals of a firm issuing new

equity shares on foreign equity markets• Understand the many barriers to penetrate effectively

foreign equity markets through cross-listing and selling equity abroad

• Examine the various financial instruments which can be used to source equity in the global equity markets


Designing a Strategy toSource Equity Globally

• This requires management to agree upon a long-run financial objective and then choose among various alternative paths to get there

• Normally the choice of paths and implementation is aided by an early appointment of an investment bank as official advisor to the firm

• Investment bankers are in touch with the potential foreign investors and what they require in terms of risk/reward

• Investment bankers can also help navigate the various institutional requirements and barriers that must be satisfies to source equity globally


Designing a Strategy toSource Equity Globally

• Most firms raise their initial capital in their own domestic market• While many can be tempted to skip the intermediate steps to

complete an Euroequity issue in global markets, good financial advisors will offer a ‘reality check’ on this strategy

• Most firms that have only raised capital in their domestic market are not well enough known to attract foreign investors

• The following exhibit walks through a more probable chain of events in accessing global capital markets with the end goal being equity capital


Exhibit 13.1 Alternative Paths to Globalize the Cost and Availability of Capital



• Depositary Receipts– Depositary receipts are negotiable certificates issued by a

bank to represent the underlying shares of stock, which are held in trust at a foreign custodian bank

• Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) – refers to certificates traded outside the US

• American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) – are certificates traded in the US and denominated in US dollars

• ADRs are sold, registered, and transferred in the US in the same manner as any share of stock with each ADR representing some multiple of the underlying foreign share



• Depositary Receipts– This multiple allows the ADRs to possess a price per

share conventional for the US market– ADRs are either sponsored or unsponsored– Sponsored ADRs are created at the request of a

foreign firm wanting its shares traded in the US; the firm applies to the SEC and a US bank for registration and issuance


Exhibit 13.2 Mechanics of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)


Exhibit 13.3 Characteristics of Depositary Receipt Programs Traded in the United States


Foreign Equity Listing & Issuance

• By cross-listing and selling its shares on a foreign stock exchange a firm typically tries to accomplish one or more of the following objectives:– Improve the liquidity of its existing shares and support a liquid secondary

market– Increase its share price by overcoming mispricing in a segmented and

illiquid home market– Increase the firm’s visibility and political acceptance to its customers,

suppliers, creditors & host governments– Establish a secondary market for shares used for acquisitions– Create a secondary market for shares that can be used to compensate

local management and employees in foreign subsidiaries


Size and Liquidity of Markets

• Three key trends in the evolution of modern exchanges:– Demutualization or the end of market ownership by

a small, privileged group of “seat owners”– Diversification by exchanges to trade a broader

range of products– Globalization or effectively another form of

diversification through several techniques


Foreign Equity Listing & Issuance

• Cross-listing is a way to encourage investors to continue to hold and trade shares that may or may not be listed on an investors home market or in a preferred currency

• Cross-listing is usually done through ADRs (in the United States, where they are traded and quoted in U.S. dollars)

• Global Registered Shares (GRSs), on the other hand, are able to be traded on equity exchanges around the globe in a variety of currencies and are traded electronically


Effect of Cross-Listingon Share Price

• The impact on price of cross-listing on a foreign stock market depends on the degree to which the markets are segmented

• As was the situation experienced by Novo, a firm can benefit if a foreign market values a company more highly than a home market (in a highly-segmented situation)


Other Motives for Cross-Listing

• Increasing visibility and political acceptance– MNEs list in markets where they have substantial physical

operations

– Political objectives might include the need to meet local ownership requirements for an MNE’s foreign joint venture

• Increasing potential for share swaps with acquisitions• Compensating management and employees


Barriers to Cross-Listingand Selling Equity Abroad

• Commitment to disclosure and investor relations– A decision to cross-list must be balanced against the

implied increased commitment to full disclosure and a continuing investor relations program

• Disclosure is a double-edged sword• Increased firm disclosure should have the effect of

lowering the cost of equity capital• On the other hand, this increased disclosure is a costly

burden to corporations


Alternative Instrumentsto Source Equity

• Alternative instruments to source equity in global markets include the following:– Sale of a directed public share issue to investors in a target

market– Sale of a Euro equity public issue to investors in more than

one market, including both foreign and domestic markets– Private placements under SEC Rule 144A– Sale of shares to private equity funds– Sale of shares to a foreign firm as a part of a strategic

alliance



• Directed Public Share Issues– Defined as one which is targeted at investors in a

single country and underwritten in whole or in part by investment institutions from that country

• Issue may or may not be denominated in the currency of the target market

• The shares might or might not be cross-listed on a stock exchange in the target market

• A foreign share issues, plus cross-listing can provide it with improved liquidity



• Euroequity Public Issue– Gradual integration of worlds’ capital markets has spawned

the emergence of a Euroequity market

– A firm can now issue equity underwirtten and distributed in multiple foreign equity markets; sometimes simultaneously with distribution in the domestic market

– As we have reviewed, the term “Euro” does not imply that the issuers or investors are located in Europe, nor does it mean the shares are sold in the currency “euro”



• Private Placement Under SEC Rule 144A– A private placement is the sale of a security to a small set of

qualified institutional buyers– Investors are traditionally insurance companies and

investment companies– Because shares are not registered for sale, investors typically

follow “buy and hold” strategy– Rule 144A allows qualified institutional buyers (QIB) to

trade privately placed securities without previous holding period restrictions and without requiring SEC registration



• Private Equity Funds– Limited partnerships of institutional and wealthy individual

investors that raise their capital in the most liquid capital markets

– Then invest these funds in mature, family-owned firms located in emerging markets

• Strategic Alliances– Normally followed by firms that expect to gain synergies

from one or more joint efforts


Summary of Learning Objectives

• Designing a capital sourcing strategy requires management to agree upon a long run financial objective

• The firm must then choose among the various alternative paths to get there, including where to cross-list its shares and where to issue new equity and in what form



• A firm cross-lists its shares on foreign stock exchanges for one or more of the following reasons– Improving liquidity of its existing shares through depositary receipts– Increase its share price by overcoming mispricing by a segmented,

illiquid home market– Support a new equity issue sold in a foreign market– Establish a secondary market for shares used in acquisitions– Increase the firm’s visibility & political acceptance to its customers,

suppliers, creditors and host governments– Create a secondary market for shares that will be used to

compensate local management and employees in foreign subsidiary



• If it is to support a new equity issue or to establish a market for share swaps, the target market should also be the listing market

• If it is to increase the firm’s commercial and political visibility or to compensate local management and employees, it should be in markets in which the firm has significant operations

• The major liquid stock markets are the NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, Euronext, Tokyo, and Deutsche Bourse



• By cross-listing and selling equity abroad, a firm faces two barriers– Increased commitment to full disclosure– A continuing investor relations program

• Non-U.S. firms must think twice before cross-listing in the United States. Not only are the disclosure requirements onerous, but continuous timely quarterly information is required by U.S. regulators and investors. This is very costly.



• A firm can lower its cost of capital and increase its liquidity by selling its shares to foreign investors in a variety of forms– Sale of a directed share issue to investors in one particular

foreign equity market– Sale of a Euroequity share issue to foreign investors

simultaneously in more than one market, including both foreign and domestic markets

– Private placement under SEC rule 144A– Sale of shares to private equity funds– Sales of shares to a foreign firm as part of a strategic alliance

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Copyright © 2009 Pearson Prentice Hall. All rights reserved. Chapter 13 Sourcing Equity Globally