Minsheng down in early trade on HK debut

China Minsheng Banking Corp became the first Chinese lender in four years to fall on its Hong Kong trading debut due to concerns that banks will have to raise capital to meet swelling loan demand, Bloomberg reported. Minsheng’s shares fell 0.9% in early trade after raising US$3.9 billion in Hong Kong’s biggest initial public offering since April 2007. Chinese banks have declined in Hong Kong trading since Bank of China said on November 24 that it was studying "various options" for raising money. The country’s five largest lenders have submitted preliminary plans to the banking regulator for raising capital after this year’s lending splurge eroded their finances.