Why the divorces of China’s A-share firm owners provoke market nerves

Retail investors worry about secondary share-price movements following equity transfers resulting from large shareholders’ divorces China’s A-share market has seen another high-profile divorce case result in a massive asset split, involving the transfer of 6 billion yuan (US$886 million) – the highest this year – and raising concerns over corporate governance stability and share price fluctuations. Although the scope of the divorce settlement is not at all comparable to that of Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates, it has made tens of thousands of retail investors worry about their portfolio holdings and paper wealth. Maxone Semiconductor Suzhou Co, the first domestic probe card maker listed on Shanghai’s Sci-Tech Innovation Board, said in an exchange filing last week that its president, Zhou Ming, 53, had completed all the legal procedures and divided his shareholdings following his divorce. Zhou transferred half of his personal equity holdings in the company, or 10.86 per cent of the total issued shares, to his ex-wife. Based on calculations after Wednesday’s closing share price, the equity division is worth about 6 billion yuan each. The announcement was made less than one year after the company’s initial public offering in December.

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