Long-form / 深度專題

證券市場與金融監管:由四間交易所到一個架構

Securities markets and financial regulation: from four exchanges to one framework

香港嘅股票市場係幾時開始,監管又係幾時由交易所自律變成法定機構?

香港嘅證券交易比交易所早,交易所又比監管機構早。四間交易所各自開業、互相競爭,直到一次停市四日之後,政府才建立一個真正有法定權力嘅監管架構。呢篇講嘅係制度,而唔係股價。

約 4 分鐘 · 6 節 · 22 條時間線 · 4 份文獻

繁體中文

一、1866–1947:交易先於交易所

證券交易行為於 1866 年在香港首度出現,但正式交易所要到 1891 年 2 月 3 日才由香港股票經紀協會成立。由交易首次出現到正式交易所成立,中間有一段冇交易所嘅時期,說明一件事:買賣可以先靠經紀之間嘅網絡進行,交易所係後來才把交易集中、把規則寫出嚟嘅場所。

1921 年,第二間交易所成立,名為香港證券經紀協會。到 1947 年,香港股份商會聯同香港經紀商會合組,香港證券交易所因而誕生。呢個過程係「合併」而唔係「新設」:同一批經紀,換一個組織形式,市場結構就由幾個圈子變成一個會。

二、四間交易所:競爭先於監管

1969 年 12 月 17 日,李福兆成立嘅遠東交易所有限公司正式開業,成為香港第二家經營證券交易嘅機構,打破自 1891 年以來只有一家交易所嘅局面。1971 年 3 月 15 日,胡漢輝成立嘅金銀證券交易所開業,成為第三間獲正式營業資格嘅交易所。1972 年 1 月 5 日,陳普芬成立嘅九龍證券交易所開業,係第四間取得營運許可嘅交易所。

四間交易所並存,代表同一隻股票可以在不同場所以不同規則買賣。對經紀係生意,對監管者係難題:冇統一上市要求、冇統一披露、冇統一結算。1973 年通過《證券交易所管制條例》,1974 年 7 月 18 日四間交易所組成香港證券交易所聯合會、主席由四間主席輪流出任——呢兩步都係想用一個協調層處理「四個市場」嘅問題,但協調唔等於合併。

三、1973:第一次有「監管職位」

1973 年 1 月 6 日,施偉賢就任首位證券監理專員;同日,證券事務諮詢委員會成立,負責協助草擬及執行證券法例,並加強股票市場監管。呢個安排嘅要害,係政府第一次有一個人、一個委員會專責睇住市場,而唔係只在事後立法。

同年通過嘅《證券交易所管制條例》,係把交易所本身納入管制範圍。呢個次序值得記住:監管者先出現,然後才有法例授權;而法例管嘅係「交易所」而唔係「交易行為」。真正針對上市、披露同中介人嘅完整架構,要等 1987 年之後才逐步建成。

四、合併:1980 立法、1986 開市

1980 年 8 月 8 日,港府頒布條例,確立聯合交易所具備取代先前四間交易所嘅法定地位。立法同實際營運之間仍然有幾年距離:1986 年 3 月 27 日,香港會、遠東會、金銀會及九龍會四間交易所結束營業;1986 年 4 月 2 日,香港聯合交易所啟用,辦事處設在中環交易廣場二樓,買賣經電腦自動報價系統處理。

由四間到一間,唔止係場地合併,而係規則合併:一套上市要求、一套交易系統、一個結算安排。呢個統一嘅代價,係把原本互相競爭嘅市場變成一個受法定地位規管嘅單一市場——效率提高,但競爭帶來嘅壓力亦同時消失。

五、1987:停市四日與戴維森報告

1987 年 10 月 20 日,由於外圍股市顯著下跌,香港聯合交易所及香港期貨交易所公布,股市與恒生指數期貨市場會一連四天休市。停市係一個極端決定:交易所寧願停止買賣,都唔想在下滑中繼續開市。但停市亦令市場對「誰有權決定開閉市」產生疑問。

三星期後,1987 年 11 月 11 日,政府設立證券業檢討委員會,主席由戴維森出任。1989 年,記載列出一個新機構嘅職責:監督聯合交易所與期貨交易所之運作、本港股票市場活動以及公司收購合併事宜,同時審核在港籌集資金嘅公開方案,並為證券與期貨交易商簽發牌照。呢個就係由「交易所自律」轉向「法定監管機構」嘅分界。

六、金管局、H 股與投資者保障

銀行那邊亦在同期重整。1993 年 4 月 1 日,任志剛出任金管局總裁,同時成為首位金融管理專員。同年 7 月 15 日,青島啤酒在香港聯合交易所上市,以發行股份方式集資 8.9 億元——呢類 H 股把香港市場同內地企業嘅資金需求接上,亦令上市審批同披露嘅要求要面對更大、更複雜嘅發行人。

市場國際化亦帶來新做法。2000 年 5 月 31 日,聯交所首日掛牌買賣七家企業股份,七家均於美國納斯達克市場上市。2002 年 2 月 18 日,香港交易所修訂《主板上市規則》與《創業板上市規則》。規則越細,代表市場越靠文件而唔係靠關係運作。

但監管唔等於冇損失。2008 年,雷曼兄弟在港推出、總值約 127 億元嘅信貸掛鈎票據價值大幅下滑,投資者蒙受重大虧損,並觸發連串追討。2009 年 7 月 22 日,16 間分銷銀行、證監會及金管局三方取得共識,按原價六至七成回購雷曼兄弟迷你債券。回購係一個折衷:唔係全賠,亦唔係全冇。

未解與缺口

  • 1987 年停市之後嘅檢討報告全文未逐頁核實,本篇只寫委員會成立同職責轉變。
  • 交易所上市公司數目、市值同成交額未逐年入庫,所以唔會講「市場有幾大」。
  • 2014 年互聯互通同 2018 年不同投票權架構未在志錄收錄,本篇唔會補寫。
  • 投資者賠償基金、銷售程序同中介人操守規則嘅具體條文未逐條核實。
  • 證監會同金管局之間嘅分工細節,志錄只記事件,未記協議文本。

文獻點讀

  • 《香港志·總述 大事記》(公元前 5000 年至 2017 年,共 6,500 多條大事)p.154、p.176、p.209、p.267、p.365、p.371、p.375、p.383、p.392、p.428、p.465、p.474、p.484、p.507、p.510、p.581、p.594、p.652、p.657、p.748交易所成立、合併、停市、監管機構同上市事件嘅精確日期主線。官方/出版者網址
  • 香港證券市場歷史事件網頁(無書頁)交易所官方整理嘅市場歷史事件,用嚟核對四會合併同制度變化嘅先後。官方/出版者網址
  • 證監會:監管角色網頁(無書頁)證監會現行監管角色,用嚟對照 1989 年記載嘅職責。官方/出版者網址
  • 貨幣政策改革的里程網頁(無書頁)金管局貨幣同金融改革里程,用嚟核對金融管理專員嘅制度位置。官方/出版者網址

頁碼係電子書頁碼;同一本書不同版次可能移位。引用時請連書名、卷冊同頁碼一齊寫。

English

1. 1866–1947: trading before exchanges

Stock trading first appeared in Hong Kong in 1866, but a formal exchange came only on 3 February 1891, established by the Hong Kong Stockbrokers’ Association. The gap between first trading and a formal exchange shows that trading can run on brokers’ networks before an exchange concentrates it and writes down rules.

In 1921 a second exchange was established, the Hong Kong Stockbrokers’ Association. In 1947 the Hong Kong Sharebrokers’ Association and the Hong Kong Brokers’ Association merged, giving rise to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. This was consolidation rather than creation: the same brokers under a new organisational form, turning several circles into one association.

2. Four exchanges: competition before regulation

On 17 December 1969 the Far East Exchange Limited, founded by Lee Fook-chiu, opened as Hong Kong’s second institution trading securities, breaking the single-exchange situation since 1891. On 15 March 1971 the Kam Ngan Stock Exchange, founded by Wu Hon-fai, opened as the third exchange with formal trading status. On 5 January 1972 the Kowloon Stock Exchange, founded by Chan Po-fun, opened as the fourth licensed exchange.

Four exchanges meant the same share could trade in different venues under different rules. Good for brokers, difficult for regulators: no unified listing requirements, disclosure or settlement. The Securities Exchange Control Ordinance was passed in 1973, and on 18 July 1974 the four exchanges formed a federation with a rotating chairmanship — both steps sought a coordinating layer for “four markets”, but coordination is not merger.

3. 1973: the first regulatory office

On 6 January 1973 Robert S. W. Swaine took office as the first Commissioner for Securities; the same day a Securities Advisory Committee was established to help draft and implement securities legislation and strengthen market supervision. The point is that for the first time government had a named officer and a committee watching the market, rather than legislating only afterwards.

The Securities Exchange Control Ordinance passed that year brought the exchanges themselves within the scope of control. The order matters: the regulator appeared first, then legislation authorised it, and the law governed exchanges rather than trading conduct. A full framework for listing, disclosure and intermediaries had to wait until after 1987.

4. Merger: legislation in 1980, trading in 1986

On 8 August 1980 the Government enacted an ordinance giving the Unified Exchange statutory status to replace the four exchanges. Legislation and operation were years apart: on 27 March 1986 the Hong Kong, Far East, Kam Ngan and Kowloon exchanges ceased operation; on 2 April 1986 the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong opened on the second floor of Exchange Square, with trading handled by a computerised automatic quotation system.

From four to one was not only a change of venue but a merger of rules: one set of listing requirements, one trading system, one settlement arrangement. The cost of uniformity was turning competing markets into a single market with statutory status — more efficient, but the pressure that competition applied disappeared with it.

5. 1987: four days closed and the Davison review

On 20 October 1987, with overseas markets falling sharply, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Futures Exchange announced that the stock market and the Hang Seng Index futures market would close for four consecutive days. Closing was an extreme decision: the exchange preferred to stop trading rather than continue into a slide. It also raised the question of who had the authority to decide when a market opens or closes.

Three weeks later, on 11 November 1987, the Government established a Securities Review Committee chaired by Davison. In 1989 the record lists a new body’s duties: overseeing the operations of the exchanges, stock market activity and mergers and acquisitions, reviewing public fundraising proposals, and licensing dealers in securities and futures. That is the dividing line between exchange self-discipline and a statutory regulator.

6. The HKMA, H shares and investor protection

Banking was reorganised in the same period. On 1 April 1993 Joseph Yam became Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the first Monetary Authority. On 15 July 1993 Tsingtao Brewery listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, raising $890 million through a share issue — H shares connected the Hong Kong market to mainland corporate funding needs and forced listing and disclosure rules to face larger, more complex issuers.

Internationalisation brought new practice. On 31 May 2000 the exchange listed and traded the shares of seven companies, all listed on NASDAQ in the United States. On 18 February 2002 Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing amended the Main Board and GEM listing rules. Finer rules mean a market that runs on documents rather than connections.

Regulation does not mean no losses. In 2008 credit-linked notes worth about HK$12.7 billion launched in Hong Kong by Lehman Brothers fell sharply, causing substantial investor losses and a wave of claims. On 22 July 2009, 16 distributing banks, the Securities and Futures Commission and the HKMA agreed to buy back Lehman minibonds at 60 to 70 per cent of the original price. The buy-back was a compromise: neither full compensation nor nothing.

Gaps

  • The full text of the post-1987 review report is not verified page by page; only the committee’s establishment and the shift in duties are recorded here.
  • Numbers of listed companies, market capitalisation and turnover are not registered annually, so no market size figure is stated.
  • The 2014 mutual market access and the 2018 dual-class share regime are not in the chronicle, and are not added here.
  • The investor compensation fund, sales process rules and intermediary conduct rules are not verified clause by clause.
  • The division of work between the SFC and the HKMA is recorded as events only; the agreements themselves are not in the chronicle.

相關頁

引用本篇:請連標題、網址同「香港紀事館深度專題」一齊寫;時間線內每條條目仍以原書頁碼為準。

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