Lessons from OCBC’s offer for Great Eastern: be unafraid to hold out, but do so with eyes open

MUCH has been said about what ails the local bourse, and numerous suggestions have been put forward regarding how to inject vibrancy into Singapore’s stock market.

One way to boost investor confidence in local listed equities is for controlling shareholders to act to unlock shareholder value.

Hence, OCBC ’s recent voluntary unconditional general offer to buy up the remaining shares of its listed insurance subsidiary Great Eastern Holdings with an aim to delist the latter should be cheered.