CHINA TOPIX

04/20/2024 09:55:12 am

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Alibaba Gets $57 Billion in Bond Order Bonanza as Ma Warns of 'Most Dangerous Moment'

Ma

(Photo : Reuters) Alibaba Group’s Jack Ma speaks at the World Internet Conference in China. He warned that “this is the most dangerous moment,” for the company.



China's Alibaba Group (BABA) has received at least $57 billion in orders for the ecommerce giant's debut bond offering, more than seven times what the company had expected.

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The bond rising likely will become the biggest dollar-denominated note offering by an Asian company, and other large bond raisings in recent years by companies like Apple (AAPL) and Verizon (VZ), reports Bloomberg News. The company was originally intending to raised $8 billion from the bond offering in order to repay loans.

Just last week, the company issued a statement saying that it had $11 billion in loans and credit lines, and that it will use proceeds from the bond sale to refinance credit agreements

The larger-than-expected order for the bonds, which can go on sale as early as today, indicates a strong demand for Alibaba-issued securities. However, Dorian Garay, a New York-based money manager told Bloomberg that he didn't think the pricing reflected the risks involved.

"The premium we see associated with Chinese companies is absent in this case," said Garay. "It feels like new issue concession is non-existent."

The bond bonanza coincided a caveat made by Jack Ma, Alibaba's founder and chairman. In a speech before the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China today, Ma said that  "even two months before the IPO, people didn't think we would make the money. Now the problem is people think we are too good - we can do anything. This is the most dangerous moment."

"Even two months before the IPO, people didn't think we would make money," Ma said in a speech today at the World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China. "Now the problem is people think we are too good - we can do anything. This is the most dangerous moment."

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