Investment managers gearing up for a rush of activity after Sars

With the lifting of the World Health Organisation (WHO) travel advisory on Hong Kong two weeks ago, it was back to business for investment bankers as companies restarted stalled listing plans.

At least eight companies are pushing initial public offering plans (IPOs), aiming to raise about HK$2.3 billion by selling shares in Hong Kong before the end of this month. Bankers said at least another six companies hoped to list on either Hong Kong's main board or the Growth Enterprise Market next month.

According to Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, there were 19 companies at the end of last month which had been given the green light to list their shares.

'It's not just IPOs, there is also a lot of mergers and acquisition activity,' said Joel Chang, a director at BNP Paribas Peregrine Capital.

Mr Chang said that with Sars under control in Hong Kong and China, bankers had begun travelling again to the mainland to meet clients. 'A lot of my colleagues have travelled to China this week. After all, meeting face to face makes their work a lot easier,' he said.

At the height of the Sars outbreak in late March and April, most investment banks banned their Hong Kong staff from travelling to areas such as Beijing and Guangdong, forcing bankers to hold tele-conferences with clients.