China takes aim at HK equity tricksters

Hong Kong

THE notorious "Lo Tsin" of Hong Kong's equity market are suddenly in the spotlight. Slang for "tricksters" in Cantonese, the phrase has long been used in the former British colony to describe stocks suspected of being tainted by dodgy financial operators, from pump-and-dump traders to misleading corporate managers.

Now, as China prepares to give its citizens greater access to smaller Hong Kong shares through a cross-border exchange link, the term is popping up in state-run media and Internet discussion groups across the mainland.