Temasek buys ICBC stake from Goldman

　　Temasek, the investment arm of the Singapore government, has increased its bet on China’s banking industry by buying a slice of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China from Goldman Sachs at a time when sentiment about the sector is increasingly bearish.

　　淡马锡(Temasek)加大了对中国银行业的投资。就在外界对该行业的前景越来越悲观之际，这家新加坡政府的投资机构从高盛(Goldman Sachs)手中购得一部分中国工商银行(ICBC)的股份。

　　The move by Temasek to increase its holding of ICBC to 1.3 per cent from virtually nothing will reduce a source of volatility from Goldman’s financial statements.

　　此举使得淡马锡在工行的持股比例，从几乎为零增至1.3%；高盛也将因此降低其财务报表的波动。

　　In the third quarter of last year, a mark to market paper loss of $1bn on the firm’s stake in the big Chinese bank was enough to plunge Goldman’s Asian operations into the red. Following the deal, Goldman holds a 1.24 per cent stake in the bank.

　　去年第三季度，高盛在中国最大银行所持股份按市价计值录得10亿美元账面亏损，这足以使高盛的亚洲业务整体出现亏损。上述交易完成后，高盛仍持有工行1.24%股份。

　　Goldman originally bought a 4.9 per cent stake in ICBC for $2.58bn in January 2006, before the bank went public. The investment was divided between Goldman funds under its private equity arm, Goldman’s own balance sheet, Goldman’s executives and Goldman clients.

　　高盛最初在2006年1月斥资25.8亿美元购得工行4.9%股份，当时工行尚未上市。这些股份的持有主体包括高盛私人股本部门旗下的基金、高盛本身、一些高盛高管以及高盛客户。

　　Since that time, there have been clashes between those who have wanted to keep the stake and those who thought the stake had too great an impact on Goldman’s performance, according to people familiar with the matter. Goldman reports first-quarter earnings today.

　　知情人士称，自那以来，希望继续持有工行股份的人与认为这些股份对高盛业绩影响过大的人发生了矛盾。高盛定于今日报告首季度盈利。

　　Beijing has viewed with dismay the speed with which supposedly long-term strategic investors such as Bank of America and Royal Bank of Scotland flipped their shares in the big Chinese banks in the wake of the global financial crisis. By selling to Temasek, Goldman hopes to minimise Beijing’s ire.

　　北京方面带着不悦的心情看到，本应成为中国各大银行长期战略投资者的外资银行，如美国银行(Bank of America)和苏格兰皇家银行(Royal Bank of Scotland)，在全球金融危机过后很快抛出了所持股份。高盛通过向淡马锡出售工行股份，希望尽量降低北京方面的不满。

　　The last time Goldman sold a chunk of ICBC, in November last year, it sold to the market. “A single quality buyer like Temasek lessens the political problem,” said one person involved in the sale. “China does not like it when big stakes are sold to the market.”

　　高盛上次出售工行股份，是去年11月在公开市场上出售。“由淡马锡这样高素质的单一买家接手，减轻了政治方面的问题，”一名参与这次出售的人士表示。“中国不希望看到大量股份在市场上被抛出。”

　　The initiative by Temasek will be welcomed by Beijing at a time when sentiment about the Chinese banking industry has become bearish because banks are considered proxies for economic growth, which is slowing in China . First-quarter gross domestic product came in at 8.1 per cent and Beijing has said it expects growth for the year to be just 7.5 per cent.

　　淡马锡此举将受到北京方面的欢迎，目前各方对中国银行业的看法趋于悲观，因为银行被视为正在放缓的中国经济增长的代表。今年首季度，中国国内生产总值(GDP)增长8.1%；另外北京方面已宣布，它预期全年经济增幅只有7.5%。

　　Temasek, with a portfolio of more than $150bn as of March 31 2011, now holds stakes in three of the big four listed Chinese banks, balancing its long-term strategic commitment to the sector with opportunistic trading.

　　截至2011年3月31日在投资组合中拥有逾1500亿美元资产的淡马锡，如今在中国四大上市银行中的三家持有股份。该机构在对中国银行业坚持长期战略投资的同时，也在进行一些投机性交易。

　　In July Temasek made HK$9bn ($1.2bn) by selling shares in China Construction Bank at a 43 per cent premium to where it bought them in November 2010. It also sold some Bank of China shares and then bought some shares back just weeks later at a discount to the price at which it sold. Last year was a great one for Temasek, in part because of such opportunistic moves. It has gone a long way to restore its image as a savvy investor.

　　去年7月，淡马锡通过出售中国建设银行(China Construction Bank)股份赚得90亿港元（合12亿美元），股票卖价与该机构在2010年11月购股时的买价相比，有43%的溢价。该机构还曾出售一部分中国银行(Bank of China)股票，然后在短短数周后以更低价格买回一部分中行股票。去年淡马锡业绩亮丽，部分原因就是这些投机性操作。该机构在恢复自己作为精明投资者的形象方面已取得长足进展。