"It's always best not to try too hard and if the market is not receptive to an IPO walk away," says Regal Funds Management's Phil King, explaining why it was right to pull the planned ASX listing of oyster producer East33 this week.
Regal is an investor in the Sydney rock oyster business, which was raising $32 million to consolidate leases and push into live exports to Asia. But even the promise of directors buying extra shares failed to offset the combination of strained relations with China, uncertainty about the restaurant trade and some minor queries from the securities regulator.
"It was one too many IPOs at the end of the year, when everyone is fatigued," King says, adding the company may come back later with a more attractive pitch for investors.
- or, maybe, just tired of the hype