Hutchison Whampoa Limited - Yankee Bond Offering

Posted: 30 Jul 1999

See all articles by George Andrew Karolyi

George Andrew Karolyi

Cornell University - SC Johnson College of Business

Rick Johnston

Independent

Date Written: 1998

Abstract

Subject Areas: Global financing strategies; Pricing new bond issues; Political risk. Case Setting: June 1997, Hong Kong.

Situation: In June 1997, Hutchison Whampoa Finance Ltd. was preparing the offering circular for a US$1 billion bond offering. Until now, the company had drawn on short- and medium-term loan facilities underwritten by banking syndicates for external financing. But with Hutchison Whampoa's diverse and expanding operations, the needs of the group were beginning to extend beyond the local banking community. The need for long-term financing was also prompted by the recent reorganization of the Cheung Kong (Holdings) group which resulted in Hutchison Whampoa acquiring an 84.58 per cent interest in Cheung Kong Infrastructure. Moreover, the time was ripe to increase the ratio of fixed-rate funding at prevailing yields which were currently attractive. But Group Managing Director, Canning Fok, and Group Finance Director, Bill Shurniak, both wondered what the reception would really be for a Hong Kong-based bond issue at the time of the Handover to China.

The primary objective of the case is to expose students to the importance of international financial markets for long-term corporate financing. The students learn about the institutional aspects of the global debt issuance process, in general, and the U.S. Yankee bond market, in particular. Another objective of the case is to evaluate factors that may affect the pricing of bond offerings, such as maturity, credit rating and after-market liquidity in the international context. A final objective is to highlight how political factors can influence the outcomes of securities offerings in foreign countries.

JEL Classification: G31, G32

Suggested Citation

Karolyi, George Andrew and Johnston, Rick M., Hutchison Whampoa Limited - Yankee Bond Offering (1998). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=172808

George Andrew Karolyi (Contact Author)

Cornell University - SC Johnson College of Business ( email )

174A STATLER HALL
ITHACA, NY 14853
United States
6142820229 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/faculty-research/faculty/gak56/

Rick M. Johnston

Independent ( email )

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