Nomura not dropped because of downgrade, says Lim

Nomura Holdings Inc said

PUTRAJAYA: Nomura Holdings Inc, a Japanese financial holding company that was widely tipped to be among the arrangers of the RM7.6bil Samurai bond, was not among the three names announced by the Finance Ministry.

Minister Lim Guan Eng confirmed that it was among the candidates vying to be one of the joint lead arrangers.

Asked if Nomura was dropped because of its research house’s downgrade on the outlook for Malaysia’s equity market, Lim said everyone is treated based on merits.

“Which one gives the best and most attractive prices (were chosen).

“So next time when you write very nasty reports, I won’t let you come in (to my press conference)? Even though you write nasty reports, we still let you come in, whether its Sin Chew or Utusan, they’re still here,” he said as he huffed out a laugh.

Bloomberg previously reported that arrangers picked included HSBC Holdings Plc, Mizuho Financial Group Inc and Nomura Holdings, quoting people familiar with the matter.

The three names announced by Lim on Friday morning were HSBC, Mizuho and Daiwa Capital Markets Ltd.

Last Wednesday, Nomura downgraded its call from neutral to underweight on Malaysian equities, on the back of a perceived meek pace of structural reforms and caution on a possible sovereign ratings downgrade, which could trigger more capital outflows.

It said Malaysia’s earnings growth were weak and had expensive valuations, making it one of the worst in the region.

The research house also highlighted that the fall in crude oil prices could increase Malaysia’s fiscal deficit ratio.