A-share short-selling on the way
Short selling of A-shares may be possible by March at the earliest under the mutual market trading scheme with the mainland.
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (0388) is to test the system on January 26 to allow short selling of about 500 A-shares available for trading under the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect.
Under the current system, if A-shares investors want to sell the stock, they must hold at least the equal amount of shares in their own trading account before 7.45am on the transaction day.
The enhancement is to build a tracking system which could locate where the shares are held apart from the investor's account for instance, those stored with custodians instead of brokers. The northbound trading rule also sets certain restrictions for Hong Kong investors; for example, the short selling ratio in each transaction day is capped at 1 percent, with no more than 5 percent of short selling in 10 consecutive trading days.
Some analysts said the limitations are stricter than those in Hong Kong, and would prove sufficient to deter short sellers from attacking individual A-shares.
Source: The Standard HK
