The capital markets reacted enthusiastically to the end of election uncertainty, and expectations of lower taxes, less regulation and more business-friendly policies....more
As a testament to the U.S. capital markets’ resilience and ability to adapt, IPOs, debt markets and mergers and acquisitions (and related financings) have shown substantial increases over 2023. Activity to date in 2024...more
2023 Market Backdrop -
U.S. and European capital markets in 2023 proved remarkably resilient in the face of challenges that read like a top 10 list of major market disrupters:
- A rapid rise to higher-for-longer...more
Takeaways -
While the SPAC IPO and PIPE markets were challenging in 2021, the enormous amounts of capital already raised should drive merger activity in 2022.
As more shareholders choose to redeem shares and potential...more
Takeaways -
U.S. IPOs skyrocketed in 2021, with SPAC IPOs and direct listings contributing meaningfully to the increase.
Along with the rise in IPO activity, companies are receiving more SEC comments on their filings....more
Transactions by special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, exploded in 2020, resulting in a 320% increase in the number of SPAC initial public offerings (IPOs) compared to 2019. SPACs have been around for 15 years and...more
On December 22, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved a proposal by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that allows companies going public via a direct listing to issue new shares and raise capital...more
Planning for an exit has never been more important for venture-backed companies than in the current volatile climate — which, though unpredictable because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the economy, is providing a...more
On August 26, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved a proposal from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that would allow companies going public via a direct listing to issue and sell new shares on their...more
Despite political and economic uncertainties, markets and deal activity were resilient in 2019, and strong fundamentals remain in place heading into 2020. Companies continue to face a challenging litigation and enforcement...more
1/30/2020
/ Acquisitions ,
Administrative Procedure Act ,
Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Antitrust Investigations ,
Appeals ,
Arbitration Awards ,
Attorney General ,
Backstop Agreements ,
BEPS ,
BitLicense ,
Blockchain ,
Board of Directors ,
Bonds ,
Capital Markets ,
CFIUS ,
CFTC ,
Chapter 11 ,
Claim Preclusion ,
Class Action ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Common Stock ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Congressional Subpoenas ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cooperation Agreement ,
Copyright ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Restructuring ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Corwin Doctrine ,
Covenant Lite Deals ,
Creditors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
DACA ,
DE Supreme Court ,
Debt Financing ,
Debtors ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dischargeable Debts ,
Disgorgement ,
Disparate Impact ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Down Rounds ,
Drug Pricing ,
EBITDA ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement of Foreign Judgments ,
Enterprise Act 2002 ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Fair Housing Act (FHA) ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FinTech ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Issuers ,
FRCP 23 ,
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) ,
General Elections ,
GILTI tax ,
High-Yield Markets ,
Hong Kong ,
Hong Kong Stock Exchange ,
Individual Accountability ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intercreditor Agreements ,
International Arbitration ,
International Litigation ,
IRS ,
Issue Preclusion ,
Japan ,
Joint Venture ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Life Sciences ,
Listing Rules ,
Litigation Strategies ,
Make-Whole Premium ,
Mergers ,
MFW ,
Multinationals ,
National Security ,
PCAOB ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Political Parties ,
Preferred Shares ,
Private Offerings ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Proxy Advisory Firms ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Refinancing ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reporting Requirements ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Separation of Powers ,
Shareholder Activism ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Shareholders ,
Split of Authority ,
State Labor Laws ,
Stock Drop Litigation ,
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ,
Tax Litigation ,
Technology Sector ,
Third-Party Release Agrements ,
Transparency ,
UK ,
UK Brexit ,
Valuation ,
White Collar Crimes
The continued growth and power of private financing alternatives have changed the dynamic of initial public offerings over time. Historically, an IPO was the ultimate goal for a company and its founders after raising initial...more
On September 26, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted new Rule 163B and related amendments under the Securities Act to expand the permitted use of “testing-the-waters” communications to all companies...more
9/28/2019
/ Accredited Investors ,
Business Development Companies ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Exemptions ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Institutional Investors ,
New Rules ,
Public Offerings ,
Qualified Institutional Buyers ,
Rule 163B ,
Securities Act ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Testing-the-Waters Communications
On January 25, 2019, President Donald Trump signed into law a continuing resolution that immediately reopened the federal government through February 15, 2019. The three-week continuing resolution is a welcome development,...more
1/28/2019
/ Continuing Resolution ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Division of Corporate Finance ,
Financial Statements ,
Government Shutdown ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Nasdaq ,
New Guidance ,
No-Action Letters ,
NYSE ,
Proxy Materials ,
Proxy Season ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Registration Statement ,
Regulation S-X ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Trump Administration ,
Waivers
Performance in the U.S. capital markets was mixed in 2018, with the equity new issuance market showing strength through most of the year and the debt issuance markets softening. The initial public offering (IPO) market had...more
On July 17, 2018, the House of Representatives passed the JOBS and Investor Confidence Act (JOBS Act 3.0), a package of reforms consisting of 32 pieces of legislation principally designed to spur entrepreneurship by...more
7/24/2018
/ Accredited Investors ,
Angel Investors ,
Capital Formation ,
Dual Class Share Structures ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
JOBS Act ,
M&A Brokers ,
Private Offerings ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Burden ,
Rule 10b-5 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Small Business ,
Startups ,
Venture Funding
On April 27, 2018, the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Nasdaq, along with certain technology and biotechnology groups, released a policy paper titled “Expanding...more
5/10/2018
/ Biotechnology ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Capital Markets ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Financial Reporting ,
ICFR ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) ,
Investment Banks ,
JOBS Act ,
Large Corporate Filers ,
Mandatory Arbitration ,
Mutual Funds ,
Nasdaq ,
New Guidance ,
Offerors ,
PCAOB ,
Proxy Advisors ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sarbanes-Oxley ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Short Sales ,
SIFMA ,
Small Business ,
Technology Sector ,
Tick Size ,
WKSIs ,
XBRL Filing Requirements
On February 2, 2018, the SEC approved the New York Stock Exchange’s proposal to permit qualifying private companies to use “direct listings” to list their shares on the NYSE and become publicly traded without conducting an...more
2/9/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Amended Rules ,
Capital Markets ,
Direct Listing ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Listing Rules ,
Mergers ,
NYSE ,
Private Placements ,
Privately Held Corporations ,
Registration Statement ,
Securities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Spinoffs ,
Valuation
The U.S. high-yield and investment-grade debt markets saw significant increases in 2017 over 2016 in dollar volume and number of issuances. The U.S. equity indices reached new highs throughout the year, with the Standard &...more
1/24/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Capital Markets ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Debt Market ,
EBITDA ,
Equity Markets ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financing ,
High-Yield Markets ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Mergers ,
Private Funds ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Tax Reform ,
Venture Capital
On November 1, 2017, the House of Representatives passed two bills intended to ease regulatory burdens on capital formation. The bills would amend the Securities Act of 1933 (Securities Act) to extend the “testing the waters”...more
11/7/2017
/ Accredited Investors ,
Capital Formation ,
Corporate Finance ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
JOBS Act ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Registration Statement ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
On August 17, 2017, the staff (Staff) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued new guidance that will streamline significantly the confidential submission process for emerging growth companies (EGCs) and...more
8/23/2017
/ C&DIs ,
Confidential Information ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Draft Documents ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Financial Statements ,
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
New Guidance ,
Registration Statement ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on June 29, 2017, that the staff (staff) of the Division of Corporation Finance will accept draft registration statement submissions from all companies for nonpublic...more
7/6/2017
/ Confidential Information ,
Corporate Issuers ,
Draft Documents ,
EDGAR ,
Emerging Growth Companies ,
Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
JOBS Act ,
Registration Statement ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act
The U.S. capital markets experienced continued volatility throughout much of 2016, as the bond and equity markets were affected by a series of significant events: the November U.S. presidential election; the June Brexit vote;...more
1/31/2017
/ Acquisitions ,
Bonds ,
Capital Markets ,
Corporate Taxes ,
Debt ,
Debt Market ,
Deregulation ,
Equity Markets ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
High-Yield Markets ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Mergers ,
Presidential Elections ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) ,
Tax Reform ,
Trump Administration ,
UK Brexit
On November 3, 2016, in Lowinger v. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit upheld a district court finding that customary initial public offering (IPO) lock-up agreements do not render parties...more
Investment-Grade Notes -
The U.S. investment-grade notes market ended the year 13 percent higher by dollar value (2 percent higher by issuances) than in 2014, with $1.3 trillion (2,021 issuances)....more
Although the number of U.S. IPOs in 2015 is down compared to this time last year, the U.S. equity and debt markets continue to remain strong. The number of follow-on equity offerings is up 41 percent from last year, with a...more