2009年1月29日星期四

Issue savings bonds

It would be the first issue of the two series of three-year 1 billion ringgit bond each in 2009, the Bank Negara Malaysia said in a press release.
"The bond, which will be scripless and based on Shariah principles, is an additional savings instrument for Malaysian citizens who are 56 years and above," the bank said.
"The bond would also be offered to Malaysian citizens who are retired on medical grounds regardless of age," it said.

2009年1月12日星期一

shake relations

This Wednesday, there were two similar transactions. Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing sold 2 billion of his total 5 billion shares in the BOC for up to 524 billion U.S. dollars through Merrill Lynch.
And BOA, the second-largest shareholder in CCB, cut its 19.13 percent stake in the Chinese bank to 16.72 percent by selling 5.62 billion CCB shares for 2.8 billion U.S. dollars.
On that day, overseas media reported that the RBS group was discussing divestment of its 4.3 percent stake in BOC. The state-controlled UK lender bought 8.25 percent of BOC's H-shares in 2005 with Li's Magnitico Holdings Ltd. and four other investors.
The BOC had a 16.85-percent stake purchased by four foreign strategic investors in 2005 before its initial public offering on the international market, including the RBS-led group, UBS, Singapore-based Temasek Holdings and the Asian Development Bank. Their lock-up periods all expired at the end of 2008.