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What determines the level of IPO gross spreads? Underwriter profits and the cost of going public

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  • Bartling, Björn
  • Park, Andreas

Abstract

This paper addresses three empirical findings of the literature on initial public offerings. (i) Why do investment banks earn positive profits in a competitive market? (ii) Why do banks receive lower gross spreads in venture capitalist (VC) backed than in non-VC backed IPOs? (iii) Why is underpricing more pronounced in VC than in non-VC backed IPOs? While each phenomenon can be explained by itself, there is no explanation yet why all three occur simultaneously. We propose an integrated theoretical framework to address this issue. The IPO procedure is modeled as a two-stage signaling game: In the second stage banks set offer prices given their private information and the level of the spread. Issuing firms anticipate their bank's pricing decision and, in the first stage, set spreads to maximize expected revenue. Investors are aware of this process and subscribe only if their expected profits are non-negative. Firms' equilibrium spreads are large so as to induce banks to set high prices, allowing banks to make profits. Superiorly informed VC backed firms impose smaller spreads but face larger underpricing than non-VC backed firms.

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  • Bartling, Björn & Park, Andreas, 2009. "What determines the level of IPO gross spreads? Underwriter profits and the cost of going public," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 81-109, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:18:y:2009:i:1:p:81-109
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Reber, Beat & Vencappa, Dev, 2016. "Deliberate premarket underpricing and aftermarket mispricing: New insights on IPO pricing," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 18-33.
    4. Carbó-Valverde, Santiago & Cuadros-Solas, Pedro J. & Rodríguez-Fernández, Francisco, 2021. "Non-pricing drivers of underwriters’ market shares in corporate bond markets," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 671-693.
    5. Guo, Haifeng & Brooks, Robert & Shami, Roland, 2010. "Detecting hot and cold cycles using a Markov regime switching model--Evidence from the Chinese A-share IPO market," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 196-210, April.
    6. Chen, Hung-Kun & Liang, Woan-lih, 2016. "Do venture capitalists improve the operating performance of IPOs?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 291-304.

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