In a market where no one wants to be the first to test investors' appetite for new shares, companies from the old economy are setting the tone by selling blocks of non-strategic assets. This week, BNP Paribas sold Eu532m in EADS stock while Morgan Stanley sold Royal Ahold shares worth Eu346m. The French market got the ball rolling on Monday evening when BNP Paribas led with a block trade of 24.2m shares in European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS). The deal was done in 24 hours and sold to European, Asian and US investors.
January 12, 2001