1st China firm to list since 2012 soars in debut on pent-up demand

SHANGHAI, Jan 17 (Reuters): The first firm to list in mainland China after a 14-month freeze on IPOs jumped 43.5 per cent in its debut, just shy of its daily limit, underscoring pent-up demand that bodes well for a raft of new issues to come.

But any hopes of lofty fund-raising targets have been dashed for now after China's stock market watchdog said this week it will police IPO pricing behaviour, concerned about a return to overpricing.

With the heightened supervision, at least eight companies have postponed their IPOs and many have sold shares at valuations much lower than their peers.