Shares in fast-fashion giant Shein fell as much as 10% on their trading debut on Hong Kong's stock market on Tuesday, before recovering some of their losses, following years of delay to the company's plans to list publicly and regulatory setbacks in Europe and in the US.
Shein's initial public offering opened on 24 August, with the final share price set a week later on 31 August. Trading began the following day, on Tuesday.
The gap reflects standard IPO process, as investors placed their orders over about a week, the banks running the deal then fixed the final price and decided who got shares, and trading opened a few business days later once the exchange gave the final go-ahead.
The listing marks the end of a long search for a stock market willing to take Shein after plans to list in New York and London stalled amid scrutiny over its Chinese supply chains, forcing the company to turn to Hong Kong instead.
New US and EU tariffs on low-cost parcels from China, along with rising shipping costs from the war in Iran, have contributed to Shein's swing from a $395 million (€340mn) profit to a $99 million (€85mn) loss in the first quarter of this year.
