The IPO issuers sailed away with hundreds of millions of dollars last week, while the bankers scooped up tens of millions. But where were the customers’ yachts?
The road to Labor Day starts on the first of August and Wall Street investment bankers have until the middle of the month to get their IPOs done. Then they shut their doors and hang up the sign “Closed for Vacation.”
As the IPO Express pulls into the depot this week, it’ll unload the last of July’s deals and pick up the first of August’s passengers. But don’t look now – the waiting line is growing for August’s run through the new-issue valley.
Safely tucked away in the canyons of Wall Street is an alley called IPO Lane. Recently, it has been attracting some traffic and as earnings season kicks into high gear, you can expect more.
The IPO market is back in the saddle after its traditional July 4th holiday break. The filings are building, the calendar is filling up and there are a few “little doggies” that could be worth carving out from the herd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines,” will be heard from the public address system at the IPO Speedway this week. Tesla Motors (TSLA – proposed) will lead the new-issues race and the betting is that it will get the winner’s checkered flag.
Wall Street begins in a graveyard, ends in a river and the road sign points “one way.” About a hundred yards east from the Trinity Church graveyard stands the New York Stock Exchange at the corner of Broad and Wall Street. The deals on this week’s IPO calendar expect to trade on the NYSE.
One IPO is from the financial industry and the other from the technology industry. Each sector has produced more deals this year than from any of the other 10 industries.
“If” you don’t know the horse, bet the jockey” has been the cliché around racetracks for generations. Wall Street’s new-issues calendar is much the same. This week, there’ll be five IPO ponies thundering down the homestretch. And the favorite plus two others will be booted home by the same jockey — make that the same banker.
One deal on this week’s IPO calendar strikes at the very heart of investing. There can be a difference between a company’s fundamentals and the price of its common stock. Sometimes they come together — sometimes they don’t.
The IPO market cruises into June with just two deals on this week’s calendar. None of the IPO experts are looking for opening-day moonshots. Nevertheless, the summer months of June, July and August can be busy. And given last week’s filings, it could be interesting.