This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Why Do IPO Auctions Fail?

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Ravi Jagannathan
Ann E. Sherman

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

We document a somewhat surprising regularity: of the many countries that have used IPO auctions, virtually all have abandoned them. The common explanations given for the lack of popularity of the auction method in the US, viz., issuer reluctance to try a new experimental method, and underwriter pressure towards methods that lead to higher fees, do not fit the evidence. We examine why auctions have failed and verify, to the extent possible, that they are consistent with what academic theory predicts. Both uniform price and discriminatory auctions are plagued by unexpectedly large fluctuations in the number of participants. The free rider problem and the winner's curse hamper price discovery and discourage investors from participating in auctions. Calculating the optimal bids in large multi-unit common value auctions with endogenous entry imposes a huge computational burden. With IPOs taking place sporadically, and each firm being different, auctions are likely to end up being unstable.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w12151.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: Access to the full text is generally limited to series subscribers, however if the top level domain of the client browser is in a developing country or transition economy free access is provided. More information about subscriptions and free access is available at http://www.nber.org/wwphelp.html.

As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.

Publisher Info
Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 12151.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: Apr 2006
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:12151

Note: AP CF IO
Contact details of provider:
Postal: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Phone: 617-868-3900
Email:
Web page: http://www.nber.org
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: ().

Related research
Keywords:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Capital and Ownership Structure

This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Jenkinson, Tim & Morrison, Alan D. & Wilhelm, William Jr., 2006. "Why are European IPOs so rarely priced outside the indicative price range?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(1), pages 185-209, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Ivo Welch & Jay Rial Ritter, 2002. "A Review of IPO Activity, Pricing and Allocations," Yale School of Management Working Papers ysm258, Yale School of Management. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Welch, Ivo, 1992. " Sequential Sales, Learning, and Cascades," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 47(2), pages 695-732, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Kerins, Frank & Kutsuna, Kenji & Smith, Richard, 2007. "Why are IPOs underpriced? Evidence from Japan's hybrid auction-method offerings," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(3), pages 637-666, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Paul Schultz, 2003. "Pseudo Market Timing and the Long-Run Underperformance of IPOs," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 58(2), pages 483-518, 04. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Tim Loughran & Jay R. Ritter, 2002. "Why Don't Issuers Get Upset About Leaving Money on the Table in IPOs?," Review of Financial Studies, Oxford University Press for Society for Financial Studies, vol. 15(2), pages 413-444, March.
  7. Jenkinson, Tim & Mayer, Colin, 1988. "The privatisation process in France and the U.K," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(2-3), pages 482-490, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Francesca Cornelli & David Goldreich & Alexander Ljungqvist, 2006. "Investor Sentiment and Pre-IPO Markets," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 61(3), pages 1187-1216, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Hausch, Donald B & Li, Lode, 1993. "A Common Value Auction Model with Endogenous Entry and Information Acquisition," Economic Theory, Springer, vol. 3(2), pages 315-34, April.
  10. Rock, Kevin, 1986. "Why new issues are underpriced," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(1-2), pages 187-212. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Kandel, Shmuel & Sarig, Oded & Wohl, Avi, 1999. "The Demand for Stocks: An Analysis of IPO Auctions," Review of Financial Studies, Oxford University Press for Society for Financial Studies, vol. 12(2), pages 227-47.
  12. Tim Jenkinson & Howard Jones, 2004. "Bids and Allocations in European IPO Bookbuilding," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 59(5), pages 2309-2338, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  13. Matthews, Steven, 1987. "Comparing Auctions for Risk Averse Buyers: A Buyer's Point of View," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 55(3), pages 633-46, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  14. Harstad, Ronald M, 1990. "Alternative Common-Value Auction Procedures: Revenue Comparisons with Free Entry," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(2), pages 421-29, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Kagel, John H & Levin, Dan, 1991. "The Winner's Curse and Public Information in Common Value Auctions: Reply," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(1), pages 362-69, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  16. Lawrence M. Ausubel, 2002. "Implications of Auction Theory for New Issues Markets," Center for Financial Institutions Working Papers 02-19, Wharton School Center for Financial Institutions, University of Pennsylvania. [Downloadable!]
  17. Habib, Michel A & Ljungqvist, Alexander P, 2001. "Underpricing and Entrepreneurial Wealth Losses in IPOs: Theory and Evidence," Review of Financial Studies, Oxford University Press for Society for Financial Studies, vol. 14(2), pages 433-58.
    Other versions:
  18. Christine Parlour & Uday Rajan, 2005. "Rationing in IPOs," Review of Finance, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 33-63, 03. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. Kenji Kutsuna, 2004. "Why Does Book Building Drive Out Auction Methods of IPO Issuance? Evidence from Japan," Review of Financial Studies, Oxford University Press for Society for Financial Studies, vol. 17(4), pages 1129-1166. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  20. Ljungqvist, Alexander P. & Wilhelm, William Jr., 2002. "IPO allocations: discriminatory or discretionary?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 167-201, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  21. Sherman, Ann E., 2005. "Global trends in IPO methods: Book building versus auctions with endogenous entry," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(3), pages 615-649, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  22. Colin Campbell & Dan Levin, 2006. "When and why not to auction," Economic Theory, Springer, vol. 27(3), pages 583-596, 04. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  23. Biais, Bruno & Faugeron-Crouzet, Anne-Marie, 2000. "IPO Auctions: English, Dutch, ... French and Internet," IDEI Working Papers 104, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse.
    Other versions:
  24. Alexander Ljungqvist & Tim Jenkinson & William Wilhelm, 2001. "Global Integration in Primary Equity Markets: The Role of U.S. Banks and U.S. Investors," OFRC Working Papers Series 2001fe06, Oxford Financial Research Centre. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  25. Francesca Cornelli, 2001. "Bookbuilding and Strategic Allocation," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 56(6), pages 2337-2369, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  26. Chris Yung, 2005. "IPOs with Buy- and Sell-Side Information Production: The Dark Side of Open Sales," Review of Financial Studies, Oxford University Press for Society for Financial Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 327-347. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  27. Levin, Dan & Smith, James L, 1994. "Equilibrium in Auctions with Entry," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(3), pages 585-99, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  28. Biais, Bruno & Bossaerts, Peter & Rochet, Jean-Charles, 2002. "An Optimal IPO Mechanism," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 69(1), pages 117-46, January.
    Other versions:
  29. Jeremy Bulow & Paul Klemperer, 2002. "Prices and the Winner's Curse," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 33(1), pages 1-21, Spring.
    Other versions:
  30. Kyle, Albert S, 1989. "Informed Speculation with Imperfect Competition," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 56(3), pages 317-55, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  31. Loughran, Tim & Ritter, Jay R. & Rydqvist, Kristian, 1994. "Initial public offerings: International insights," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 2(2-3), pages 165-199, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  32. Chowdhry, Bhagwan & Sherman, Ann, 1996. "The winner's curse and international methods of allocating initial public offerings," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 15-30, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  33. Ravi Jagannathan & Ann E. Sherman, 2005. "Reforming the Bookbuilding Process for IPOs," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 17(1), pages 67-72. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  34. Amihud, Yakov & Hauser, Shmuel & Kirsh, Amir, 2003. "Allocations, adverse selection, and cascades in IPOs: Evidence from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 137-158, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  35. Chowdhry, Bhagwan & Sherman, Ann, 1996. "International differences in oversubscription and underpricing of IPOs," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 2(4), pages 359-381, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  36. Hendricks, Kenneth & Porter, Robert H & Wilson, Charles A, 1994. "Auctions for Oil and Gas Leases with an Informed Bidder and a Random Reservation Price," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 62(6), pages 1415-44, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  37. Avanidhar Subrahmanyam & Sheridan Titman, 1999. "The Going-Public Decision and the Development of Financial Markets," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 54(3), pages 1045-1082, 06. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  38. Benveniste, Lawrence M. & Spindt, Paul A., 1989. "How investment bankers determine the offer price and allocation of new issues," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 343-361. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  39. Sherman, Ann E. & Titman, Sheridan, 2002. "Building the IPO order book: underpricing and participation limits with costly information," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 3-29, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  40. Michel A. Habib & Alexandre Ziegler, 2003. "Why Government Bonds Are Sold by Auction and Corporate Bonds by Posted-Price Selling," FAME Research Paper Series rp78, International Center for Financial Asset Management and Engineering. [Downloadable!]
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Ping Zhang, 2009. "Characterization of Pure Strategy Equilibria in Uniform Price IPO Auctions," Discussion Papers 2009-05, The Centre for Decision Research and Experimental Economics, School of Economics, University of Nottingham. [Downloadable!]
  2. Christian Hopp & Axel Dreher, 2007. "Do Differences in Institutional and Legal Environments Explain Cross-Country Variations in IPO Underpricing?," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Adriani, Fabrizio & Deidda, Luca & Sonderegger, Silvia, 2009. "The Role of Financial Intermediaries in Securities Issues: A Theoretical Analysis," MPRA Paper 16112, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  4. Young Han Lee & Ulrike Malmendier, 2007. "The Bidder's Curse," NBER Working Papers 13699, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? You too can volunteer for RePEc, for example by providing information about publications in your institution.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-21.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.