Hong Kong trading halts freeze $20.4 billion after earnings delays

HONG KONG (BLOOMBERG) - Trading in 33 Hong Kong-listed stocks was halted on Friday (April 1) after a number of firms missed a deadline to report annual results in a move that is expected to affect some US$15 billion (S$20.4 billion) worth of shares.

Troubled Chinese developers, including Sunac China Holdings and Shimao Group Holdings, were among the stocks suspended. China Aoyuan Group said publishing unaudited results at this stage could “potentially be misleading to the shareholders and potential investors”. This year’s number compares with 57 for 2021 and at least nine for 2020.

The barrage of trading halts comes at a bad time for the city’s equity market, after the Hang Seng Index slid to a 10-year low last month. Beijing’s repeated vows to provide stability have failed to restore investors’ confidence, and regulatory risks as well as lockdowns in China are weighing on the earnings outlook.

This earnings season had been expected to be the worst in a decade for Chinese developers beset by a credit crunch, and failure for the firms to come clean on time - as well as a slew of auditor resignations - will only worsen sentiment. Uncertainties over financial transparency may also bring further credit rating downgrades. 

“It is an open secret that auditors adopt very strict requirements for Chinese developers’ audit work this year due to the sector’s liquidity issues and default problems,” said Mr Raymond Cheng, head of China/Hong Kong research at CGS-CIMB Securities.

Trading suspensions in Hong Kong can take place due to various reasons. In terms of earnings, a company’s shares will be halted if it does not release audited results three months after the fiscal year ends, according to exchange rules. However, due to Covid-19-related delays, firms have been allowed to submit unaudited figures by March 31 and file the audited version by April 30 to avoid suspension. 

The Hang Seng Index fell as much as 2 per cent on Friday before paring losses to 0.2 per cent. The Hang Seng Composite Index’s trading volume was about 40 per cent lower than its 30-day average, partly due to a closure of southbound trading.

Audit problems were a “key driver” for recent downgrades of Sunac China Holdings and Ronshine China Holdings, Fitch Ratings said this week. 

Potential credit rating cuts following the earnings delays are likely to trigger requests for early debt payments and “add to their default risks”, said Mr Dean Xiao, an analyst at Guotai Junan International Holdings.

A prolonged trading pause increases the risk of wild stock moves upon resumption. Among last year’s cases, China Huarong Asset Management, which was halted for nine months, sank 50 per cent when trading resumed. GCL-Poly Energy Holdings surged 82 per cent after a seven-month halt. 

Companies could also be booted from MSCI’s stock indexes within three trading days if their suspensions last for more than 50 consecutive days, according to the index compiler. Such a decision could impact billions of dollars of passive funds that track related MSCI benchmarks. Huarong was removed from the gauges in June last year.

Among the firms halted on Friday, Sunac China and Shimao Group are members of the MSCI China Index.