The Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchanges registered one hundred and fifty new listings, together raising just over one hundred billion yuan; around sixteen billion US dollars.

 

　　In Shenzhen, funds raised were down 45 percent and down 63 percent in Shanghai.

 

　　However, Chief Investment Officer at Fidelity Worldwide Investments Dominic Rossi is keeping faith in the Chinese stock markets heading into 2013.

 

　　"We continue to believe in the Chinese equity market. It certainly not an expensive equity market today. And we also are very confident about the transformation that is taking place as China migrate from being a fixed investment orientated economy to one which is more consumer led."

 

　　International accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers expects around 200 new listings on Chinese mainland equity markets this year.

 

　　These could raise up to one hundred and fifty billion yuan, or nearly twenty-five billion US dollars.

 

　　The anticipated offering by state-run Xinhuanet.com is one IPO which is getting a lot of attention.

 

　　CEO of the Kwester social gaming website Frank Yu is surprised by the move.

 

　　"For a government entity to go IPO is somewhat unusual. It's almost like you're privatizing a portion of that company".

 

　　One area being questioned is the timing of the stock offering.

 

　　Some reports say the IPO has been in the works since as early as the start of 2011.

 

　　Analyst at Analysys International Jason Qi gives his reasoning behind the delay.

 

　　"The first thing is it could take a long time to go through with enterprise reform. They are going to change from SOE to the private-owned enterprise. I think it could take a long time to do this. And another reason is to wait for a good stock environment."

 

　　He also argues the 2012 listing by people.com.cn has influenced the IPO timing.

 

　　"They watch the People Daily, you know the previous listed company. They want to see their performance."

 

　　The People's Daily IPO raised three times more than initially planned, receiving funds worth nearly one and a half billion yuan.

 

　　After an initial offering price of 20 yuan, share prices soared by over 90 percent within 2 days of trading.

 

　　Testament to its performance, people.com.cn has maintained a high price of around 39 yuan per share so far this year and profits are up 44 percent.

 

　　Frank Yu of Kwester argues Xinhuanet could also have appeal from investors.

 

　　"There's no guarantee that any IPO will be successful, but having the fact that it's backed by the government, a lot like a Chinese bank is backed by the government, gives a little more confidence to investors that, well, its just not going to go belly-up and that it is sort of backed by a guarantee that someone is going to support it."

 

　　Analysts are debating who will be investing in Xinhuanet.

 

　　People.com.cn saw large investments coming from other state-owned enterprises such as China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom Corp.

 

　　Frank Yu of Kwester believes companies could be interested in Xinhuanet on more of a strategic level rather than as a money maker.

 

　　"There's also other companies that make investments not so much for the return, they really make a strategic investment to develop a relationship, and allow things like telecoms and media conglomerates and they make strategic investments. For example, Disney, you know, I have no inside information on this but I think if Disney takes a stake in Xinhua, Xinhua will somehow give them some content and help them get distribution in China, and they sort of, do some sort of trade and they seal the deal by trading shares with each other."

 

　　And Analysys International's Jason Qi argues the offering will give Xinhuanet the opportunity to develop as a global media organisation and distributor of information.

 

　　"I think they can extend their business into the new business media industry, centralize the online website and mobile internet market, they can to develop some applications, they can take advantage of their transitional media strengths which the new media business line to obtain more market share."

 

　　With a date yet to be confirmed for the offering, investors will be keeping a close eye on Xinhuanet's developments.