OCBC share price in new dawn
What a way for OCBC share to start the year. On 8 January 2021, OCBC stunned investors by announcing the retirement of former CEO Samuel Tsien. Prior to this, there was no hint of succession planning for the CEO position. Nonetheless, the market cheered the news and sent OCBC share price surging 7%, rising from $10.10 to a high of $10.80 on 8 January 2021. Will the new CEO, Ms Helen Wong, ignited sparks for OCBC share price?
Hands on heart, I have nothing against Samuel Tsien. In fact, I quite like him. Over the past decade, OCBC has emerged as the number two bank in Singapore, much thanks to the acquisitions of Hong Kong’s Wing Hang Bank, Barclays Wealth and Investment businesses in Singapore and Australia and National Australia’s Wealth and Investment businesses in Singapore and Australia. These mergers and acquisitions led to rising OCBC share price during Samuel Tsien’s tenure.
Although Samuel Tsien’s tenure in OCBC had been defined by successful merger and acquisitions, the final lap of his helm saw OCBC share price losing form due to the 2019’s US-China trade war and the 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic. Admittedly, I had lost patience with this counter.
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