BACKS have been slapped, banquets have been eaten, and who knows what palms have been greased but now the time is coming to judge the winners of the great H-share contest - Round Two.
The courting process has been long and expensive for the bankers involved yet, according to our sources, a decision has been made that would leave the British merchant banks off the winners' rostrum.
Last week a meeting was taking place across the border in Foshan which will go a long way in deciding which companies will be mandated to underwrite the next batch.
At that meeting, officials from the China Securities and Regulatory Commission (CSRC) briefed company directors from the gang of 22 in a sort of survivors' guide to foreign stock markets.
It was apparently made clear to the assembled directors that things could be tricky for them in the future if they opted for a British house.
WHEN Financial Secretary Sir Hamish Macleod announced in the Budget that an amendment would be made to the Stamp Duty Ordinance, the intention was to free up the short selling business.
However, since he is mucking around with the ordinance, there is another little amendment that those with an eye for legal detail think he can make.