Tom Taulli

How many IPOs last week? Zero. That’s right. Nothing. Then again, Nasdaq continued to plunge and investors continued to be risk-averse. Although, by Friday, Nasdaq did stage a small come-back – as rumors swept the Street that Greenspan would surprise us again with another rate reduction. But, last week there were two companies that had […]

Just when it seemed like the Nasdaq was staging a comeback, Nortel shocked Wall Street. Once a darling of mutual funds and momentum traders, Nortel’s stock fell more than 30% on Friday, erasing more than $30 billion in market cap. For the first quarter, the company said it will see a loss of four cents […]

The trend continues – IPO investors want strong, profitable companies. Period. This was evidenced by last week’s IPO of KPMG . It was a mega offering, as the company raised about $2.02 billion. The IPO was priced at $18 and ended its first day of trading at $23.48. The company is a leading consulting firm […]

Dribs and drabs. That basically explains the IPO market so far this year. And, expect this to continue for some time. However, there is a mega IPO on tap for this week: KPMG. Yes, this is the consulting arm of the Big Five accounting firm KPMG LLP. IPO investors are craving stability and KPMG certainly […]

Last week, the mighty Starbucks announced its quarterly results. Even with a slowing economy, people are still buying high-priced coffee. In the past quarter, net earnings surged from $34.7 million to $49 million. In fact, the company raised guidance for 2001. In all, the company operates 3,800 coffee shops. For 2001, Starbucks plans to establish […]

They’re back… Yes, it has been a long slumber since we saw an IPO. And, unfortunately, it will take some time for the IPO market to mend its wounds. Yet, the recent strength in Nasdaq should pave the way for a healthy IPO market. Okay, we only have three IPOs planned for this week – […]

The key to a resurgent IPO market will be a resurgent Nasdaq. Last week, there were signs that, yes, Nasdaq may be coming back to life. After all, the index was up for three consecutive days (the first time in four months). This was the case despite some tough earnings reports, such as from Yahoo! […]

Looks like it will take more than a half-point reduction in interest rates in order for IPOs to revive. By Friday of last week, investors were once again concerned about the prospects of upcoming corporate earnings (or lack thereof). The pressure was too much for Noviant, which decided to withdraw its IPO last week. The […]

When IPOs were trading at nosebleed valuations, everyone wanted to buy them. The Greater Fool Theory was very much in force. Somehow, there would be someone on the other end of the transaction willing to buy your shares at a higher price. It was fun while it lasted. But of course, in light of Greenspan’s […]

For 2000, it was the Year of the Dog for the IPO market. And, of course, the top dog was Pets.com. In a way, the company lived in dog years. The IPO was in February 2000. Then, in November, the company was liquidated. Yes, for this year, it was the revenge of the Old Economy. […]

Not long ago, IPOs were destined to surge – defying any semblance of reality. Of course, in the second half of 2000, the IPO market has mostly been destined for failure. Nothing seems to work. With Christmas fast-approaching, the IPO market has become nonexistent. Rather, much of the action has been withdrawals. There was Diva […]

Last week was pitiful for the IPO market. The only company that could make its ticker symbol active was Rigel. And it wasn’t pretty. Simply put, investors are deathly scared of newfangled companies. And, no question, Rigel is newfangled. It is in the esoteric business of post-genomics combinatorial biology. The IPO price range was sliced […]