Category Archives: The IPO Buzz

By: John E. Fitzgibbon, Jr.

Last week’s traffic underscored the fact that we have a market for IPOs, not an IPO market. And that’s not all that bad. Wall Street has always been subject to change. The new-issues market has been known to give early warning signals when it’s coming back to life.

 

By: John E. Fitzgibbon, Jr.

As the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse thunder through the Valley of IPOs this week, they’ll be joined by another noteworthy steed. This one does not bring conquest, war, famine and death. It brings life. It is Intrepid Potash (NYSE: IPI proposed) and it comes from the hot potash industrial sector.

 

By: John E. Fitzgibbon, Jr.

During the dog days of a stock market pullback, size counts when it comes to pricing IPOs. This year’s first quarter for IPOs boiled down to one word — Visa (NYSE:V), a $17.9 billion blockbuster. This year’s second quarter for IPOs has yet to start, but when it does, there is another billion-dollar IPO on the calendar – American Water Works (NYSE: AWK proposed). It is looking to raise $1.6 billion.

By: John E. Fitzgibbon, Jr.

Will Rogers once said, “All I know is what I read in the papers.” But don’t believe everything you read from the financial media’s online news services. In early March, they were running gloom-and-doom headlines that a total of 61 global IPOs had been withdrawn in 2008. No mention was made of filings.

By: John E. Fitzgibbon, Jr.

Yes, Virginia, there is life on Wall Street’s syndicate desks. It’s not in the form of IPOs, but in secondary offerings. And these creatures are far different than the IPOs we all know and love.

By: John E. Fitzgibbon, Jr.

 

Visa’s $17.9 billion blockbuster IPO was the talk of the town last week – no surprises there. But this is Wall Street where you’re only as good as your last trade. The next question is: “What do you have for us now?”

By: John E. Fitzgibbon, Jr.

 

Visa’s IPO will debut on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday morning, March 19 — a day ahead of schedule. Its original launch date was Thursday, March 20. That tells you all you need to know about the deal.

By: John E. Fitzgibbon, Jr.

The SPACs, which are special purpose acquisition companies or blank checks, have been the only IPO game in town this year. Eleven of this year’s 20 IPOs have been SPACs, but the traffic has dried up lately. Many are trading below their initial offering prices, but there could be gold in some of those SPACs.

By: John E. Fitzgibbon, Jr.

The Visa IPO is emerging from the mist of falling stock prices and a dwindling new-issue calendar like a shining light. The blockbuster deal with a big brand name has attracted a lot of attention.

By: John E. Fitzgibbon, Jr.

Over the years, there are two factors that slow down or stop the IPO calendar. One is stock market conditions and the other is seasonal factors. Both forces have made their appearances in today’s new-issues market.