At a time when a withering recession and the shadow of the financial meltdown weigh on America’s economy, it seems almost implausible that the initial public offering market is doing exceedingly well. However, a report released today by PricewaterhouseCooper’s Transaction Services showed that the third quarter’s of 2009’s 20 offerings raised a total of $5.8 billion, compared to the first quarter’s five offerings raising $967 million.
The report shows that the IPO market has gone from what many analysts call rock bottom in the first quarter of the year to the IPO market’s strongest showing since early 2008. Throughout 2009, the IPO …read more

Insurance risk company Verisk has managed to secure the largest initial public offering of 2009, valuing the company at a whopping $22 per share for its 85.25 million shares. This sits above the analyst-expected price range of $19 to $21 per share for the same amount of shares and establishes Verisk as a new force to be reckoned with in the insurance risk field.
These shares are expected to start being traded on Wednesday on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol VRSK. The total value of the IPO clocks in at $1.88 billion, which is the largest IPO in the …read more

OpenTable, a corporation that provides free online dinner reservations in addition to visitor management systems for restaurants, priced their initial public offering at $20 per share and made three millions shares available. By the end of their first trading sessions on Thursday, OpenTable’s stock was sitting on $31.85 — a jump of nearly 60%.
The 60% jump was the best first day showing for an IPO on Nasdaq since the November of 2007. During the day, trading reached more than $35.
OpenTable can be reached at OpenTable.com. On the website, you can make a reservation at one of 100 million diners. The …read more