Li Ka-shing has proved again he's the Warren Buffett of Asia.

After the sage of Omaha signaled the bottom of the market for U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs this week, Hong Kong multi-billionaire Li has stepped in to back Bank of East Asia as investors and depositor confidence in the bank slumped.

Like Buffett, Superman Li (as he's known by locals), is no fool with his money.

Both men, each now getting on in age, take a hands-on approach to managing their stable of assets via an industrial holding company; in Mr. Li's case, through Cheung Kong Holdings. While smaller than Berkshire Hathaway, it has also produced handsome returns over the years for its investors.

Mr. Li's raid Wednesday to buy a 'substantial' amount of shares in Bank of East Asia is typical of his investing style: Jump in when everyone else is jumping out.

Lines of depositors had formed outside BEA's head office to withdraw their money as rumors swirled of the bank's potential exposure to other failed financial firms.

At one point in the afternoon the stock had fallen 11%: But there was Superman Li to catch it.

On the surface this may look like one Hong Kong tycoon helping an old friend and fellow tycoon, BEA Chairman David Li.

But, for Li Ka-shing the downside looks small.

If the consolidation in the global banking sector spreads to Asia, some small players could lose their independence as large foreign groups looking for a beach head in the region come shopping.

If BEA is on that list, Li Ka-Shing stands to make a quick profit.

If not, more than once before he has shown a knack for investing at or very near to the bottom of the cycle in Hong Kong stocks. Either way his Superman tag appears to be safe for now.

李嘉诚被称为“亚洲的巴菲特(Warren Buffett)”。他周三的举动再次印证了这一点。

“奥马哈的圣人”巴菲特本周的举动指明了美国投行高盛(Goldman Sachs)的市场底部，随后，香港亿万富豪李嘉诚也出招跟进，在投资者和储户对东亚银行(Bank of East Asia)信心大跌之际出手力挺。

跟巴菲特一样，“李超人”在用钱方面绝不是傻瓜。

这两位如今均年事已高，他们都是通过一家控股公司经营自己的大量资产，而且都亲自参与公司的管理。李嘉诚的公司叫长江实业(Cheung Kong Holdings)，虽然它规模不及巴菲特的Berkshire Hathaway，但这些年来也为它的投资者创造了不俗的回报。

李嘉诚周三突然出手买进东亚银行“大量”股份的举动符合他一贯的投资风格，那就是在其他人纷纷出逃的时候大胆进入。

日前，因市场盛传东亚银行因其他金融机构倒闭而面临重大风险，大量储户在东亚银行总部外排队提款。

当天下午，东亚银行股价跌幅一度高达11%。但“李超人”乘机买进。

表面看来，这或许像是一位香港大亨救助另一位大亨、同时也是他朋友的东亚银行主席李国宝(David Li)。

但对李嘉诚而言，此举看上去没多少负面风险。

如果全球银行业整合浪潮蔓延到亚洲，随着希望在此设立滩头阵地的大型外资集团出手并购，一些小机构可能会被收归门下。

如果东亚银行出现在被收购名单上，李嘉诚势必能快速获利。

如果不是这样也没什么可担心，以前李嘉诚已经多次展示过在香港股市接近或处于底部时出手抄底的才能。不管届时是哪种情况，李嘉诚暂时都不会有丢掉“超人”名号的危险。

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