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LOS ANGELES -- HSBC Holdings PLC. said Sunday it raised a net 12.5 billion pounds ($17.7 billion) in its recent rights offering to existing investors, a move the international banking giant said would boost its capital levels significantly. The 5-million-plus-share offering was priced at 254 pence, a 41% discount to HSBC's closing London share price on Friday. Of the total, close to 97% was sold, with the London Telegraph quoting unnamed sources as saying that the rump of shares not taken up would be placed on Monday, when the new shares start trading. "Today, HSBC is well capitalized, liquid and profitable. We are determined that HSBC should maintain its signature financial strength which is supported by a conservative balance sheet," said the bank's chairman, Stephen Green, in a statement announcing the offering. In Hong Kong trade following the results, locally listed shares of HSBC were up over 3% at HK$51.