What is an IPO and how does it work?
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An initial public offering (IPO) refers to the process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new stock issuance.
Public share issuance allows a company to raise capital from public investors. The transition from a private to a public company can be an important time for private investors to fully realize gains from their investment as it typically includes share premiums for current private investors. Meanwhile, it also allows public investors to participate in the offering.
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A company planning an IPO will typically select an underwriter or underwriters. They will also choose an exchange in which the shares will be issued and subsequently traded publicly. The term initial public offering (IPO) has been a buzzword on Wall Street and among investors for decades. The Dutch are credited with conducting the first modern IPO by offering shares of the Dutch East India Company to the general public. Since then, IPOs have been used as a way for companies to raise capital from public investors through the issuance of public share ownership. Through the years, IPOs have been known for uptrends and downtrends in issuance.
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Individual sectors also experience uptrends and downtrends in issuance due to innovation and various other economic factors. Tech IPOs multiplied at the height of the dot-com boom as startups without revenues rushed to list themselves on the stock market. The 2008 financial crisis resulted in a year with the least number of IPOs. After the recession following the 2008 financial crisis, IPOs ground to a halt, and for some years after, new listings were rare.
More recently, much of the IPO buzz has moved to a focus on so-called unicorns—startup companies that have reached private valuations of more than $1 billion. Investors and the media heavily speculate on these companies and their decision to go public via an IPO or stay private.
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