The costs of foreign single listing

A significant number of firms conduct their initial public offerings in a foreign market without a domestic listing; this is known as a foreign single listing. The existing literature has mainly focused on examining cross-listings – where firms are listed in both the domestic market and one or more foreign markets – with little attention to foreign single listings. This study examines the costs of foreign single listings. Using a sample of Chinese firms, we show that – on average – the stocks of foreign single-listed firms are undervalued by around 20–30% relative to cross-listed firms. The results are robust in both panel regressions and in a natural experiment analysis. Our findings have strong implications for firms which may consider listing overseas.