The doom and gloom about Britain’s economic prospects has had no impact on initial public offerings (IPOs). The main stock exchange and the junior market are “enjoying a golden period”, say Deirdre Hipwell and Colin Jones in The Times. According to Dealogic, London has hosted 65 IPOs this year, compared with just 46 throughout 2016. Over £11bn has been raised, more than double 2016’s £5.6bn. Over £5bn of this sum was raised by foreign companies choosing to list here.
The next company to go public is expected to be Cabot Credit Management, Britain’s biggest debt collector. Also in the line up are Bakkavor, a supplier of ready meals to Marks & Spencer, EN+, Russia’s top independent power supplier, and TMF, a Dutch financials services provider.
The key driver of sentiment surrounding IPOs is overall market confidence, and in this context all the stars are aligned. Stocks are at record highs, but there is no obvious trigger for a major correction in sight, as we noted last week; volatility is historically low on both sides of the Atlantic. Global IPOs are 50% up on last year, while in Europe the figure is 60%.