October 29, 2006	Sunday	Shawwal 5, 1427

NEW YORK, Oct 28: Boosted by eye-opening growth prospects, initial public offerings from Chinese companies have soared since September.

After a summer plagued with withdrawals blamed on market conditions, Chinese companies stand out, even amid a broader autumn boomlet in initial public offerings.

Businesses from Home Inns and Hotel Management to Mindray Medical International have impressed investors with growth prospects driven in large part to the sheer size of their market and maturity of the economy.

"The Chinese companies are becoming more attractive and more western and less Chinese government," said Linda Killian, portfolio manager of IPO Plus Fund, a mutual fund advised by Renaissance Capital focused on IPOs. "The offerings today relate more to the world economy."

On Thursday, the American depositary shares (ADS) of Home Inns and Hotel Management Inc., which operates 82 budget hotels, rose as much as 72 per cent to $23.75 in their market debut. The shares closed at $25.44 on Friday, about 120 times annualised earnings.—Reuters