DealZone

Macau casino operator MGM China, co-owned in part by casino mogul Stanley Ho’s daughter Pansy Ho, raised $1.5 billion from its Hong Kong initial public offering after pricing it at the top of its indicative range, triggering some concerns about lofty valuations.

Gambling revenues in the world’s largest gaming market are at record highs, dwarfing those of Las Vegas and fueling a surge in share prices of local casino operators that boosted demand for MGM China’s IPO.

But the rally may have pushed stock prices in the sector too far, reducing their appeal to some investors according to some analysts.

However, shares of Macau’s biggest casino operator SJM Holdings, which has nearly three times the revenue of MGM China, have surged nearly 52 percent so far this year. If MGM China can duplicate the success of SJM, the fears about high valuations should subside.

With the deal Pansy Ho is now worth nearly $2 billion more than her legendary casino father “king” Stanley.

The London Stock Exchange faced an increasingly bitter battle for control of Canadian peer TMX Group after rival bidder Maple Group took its higher offer directly to shareholders.

Maple Group of Canadian banks and pension funds hostile $3.7 billion bid for TMX hopes to galvanize simmering nationalistic opposition to a foreign takeover of the country’s main exchange.

While the LSE is countering with the argument that its takeover would give TMX a launching point to the international stage, TMX shareholders’ decision could determine not only the fate of TMX but also that of the LSE.

The Treasury made a small profit when it sold a portion of its shares in AIG, but it was unclear how its investment in the beleaguered insurer will ultimately fare.

Tuesday’s $8.7 billion stock offering, (being dubbed by some as AIG’s re-IPO) which included 200 million shares sold by the Treasury and 100 million sold by AIG itself, is far smaller than the $10 billion to $20 billion deal some banking sources had suggested earlier this year, hinting at a potential lack of investor interest.

With the sale, the Treasury has raised $5.8 billion of the $47.5 billion it needs to break even and now has another 1.5 billion shares to sell.

Even though sources close to Glencore felt the commodities trader had left “money on the table” with an offer price of 530 pence that valued the company at $59.15 billion, the company’s shares were stuck under water on their first day of official trade, dashing hopes of a strong start.

While some analysts still expressed concern over Glencore’s valuation, several analysts and bankers brushed aside worries about the stock trading below the offer price. They said the market debut should be seen as a success given its size and the continued uncertainty in both commodity and equity markets.

In other news Yandex’s initial public offering, the Internet sector’s biggest U.S. float since Google, was 17 times oversubscribed, a source said, with demand boosted by a blow-out float of LinkedIn.

Commodities trader Glencore made a steady market debut with shares trading just above the widely expected launch price of 530 pence, giving it solid currency for potential acquisitions.

There was heavy interest in the stock on both the London and Hong Kong exchanges, due in part to the relatively small amount of shares being sold. Glencore’s Chief Executive and largest shareholder Ivan Glasenberg said demand for the shares “significantly” exceeded the amount available.

Analysts on Thursday said the 530 pence per share level was realistic and should mean strong aftermarket support. “Obviously everything is priced to do well. I don’t know whether five to ten percent upside is in the bag or not, but certainly they are trying to please investors with the price,” analyst Tim Dudley at Collins Stewart said.

LinkedIn’s IPO, which is expected to price after the close of U.S. markets on Wednesday and start trading on Thursday, appears set to be a stunning success, but it carries a number of risks that may shake up investors in the future.

Potential risks include LinkedIn’s gutsy bet on future growth, an admission that it does not expect to be profitable in 2011 and the prospect of having its site blocked, which would limit its user base and could curtail some of the potential growth so attractive to investors.

After two years of losses, LinkedIn finally made money for its common stockholders in 2010 — but then it was back to only breaking even in the first quarter of 2011. A profitable company flatlining or swinging to a loss in its first year as a publicly traded stock could prove an unwelcome surprise for investors betting on the booming growth of social media companies.

Commodities trader Glencore will close the books for its planned $11 billion initial public offering a day ahead of schedule, underscoring strong investor demand for its shares despite volatile commodity markets. A source told Reuters on Friday the offer was already “multiple times covered” across the price range, but part of that success is due to the relatively small stake in the company being placed with funds and to Glencore’s size, which makes it a must-buy for many.

Takeda, Japan’s largest drugmaker, said on Friday it has not agreed to  buy Swiss rival Nycomed, following reports it was in talks to buy the privately held company for more than $12 billion. “Takeda is constantly seeking and evaluating opportunities to increase shareholder value and enhance our business through strategic investment; however, there is nothing that needs to be announced at this point,” Takeda said on its website.

Yum Brands is adding Chinese hot pot to its menu of fast-food restaurants with an offer to buy out China’s Little Sheep for $586 million, paying a premium to introduce the popular chain to a global audience and sending the restaurant’s shares to a record. Analysts said the deal was positive for both Yum Brands, the parent of KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, as it expands in China and for Little Sheep, which has more than 300 restaurants, primarily in China, as it would help save costs.

Internet giants Facebook and Google are separately considering a tie-up with Skype after the Web video conferencing service delayed its initial public offering, two sources with direct knowledge told Reuters. A Skype deal could be valued at $3 billion to $4 billion, according to one of the sources.

Swiss commodity trader Glencore’s planned $11 billion listing was fully covered on its first day as investors rushed to take part in the mega-float, two sources close to the deal said on Thursday. Investors placed orders for all the shares on offer, including a 10 percent overallotment option, sources said, adding it was too soon to say where in the indicated 480-580 pence ($0.79-0.95) range the shares would be priced.

Warner Music Group could reach a deal to sell itself as soon as close of business on Thursday when the board meets to make a final decision, according to two sources. The world’s third largest music company is expected to be sold for over $3 billion and leading the bidding is Russian-American industrialist Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries.

Extreme market volatility tends to make investors a jittery bunch. The deadly earthquakes and nuclear crisis in Japan will obviously have an immediate impact there, but the fallout from the catastrophe is expected to spread across the globe where it could delay or even cancel a slew of new share offerings and debt deals.

According to IFR, a Thomson Reuters publication, one major deal in the pipeline that’s at risk of cancellation is the planned $6-$8 billion London-Hong Kong IPO of Swiss commodity trading group, Glencore, a deal expected in May.

Institutional investors will be demanding a higher return on their investments, forcing stock and bond deals to expect lower valuations, or face being pulled all together. Glencore’s IPO may be the victim of bad timing.

Call it the survival instinct. The flurry of mergers and alliances underway in the global exchanges industry has served as a call to action for the Tokyo Stock Exchange, which may begin merger talks with its main Japanese rival Osaka Securities Exchange as it seeks out ways to survive consolidation sweeping the sector.

Meanwhile, some of Canada’s big banks are protesting the London Stock Exchange’s proposed $3.2 billion takeover of Toronto Stock Exchange parent, TMX Group. Bank executives told a hearing that the deal threatens Toronto’s status as a global financial hub and could harm the prospects of Canadian companies looking to raise funds on public markets.

HCA, the biggest U.S. for-profit hospital chain, made history on Wednesday when it pulled off the largest private-equity backed initial public offering ever. Investors snapped up more shares than expected in the $3.79 billion IPO, shrugging off the hospital operator’s high debt levels as the market for newly traded shares heats up. Check out our list of the ten largest U.S. private equity-backed IPOs.