IPO underpricing during the boom: a block-booking explanation

James, Kevin R. (2004) IPO underpricing during the boom: a block-booking explanation. Discussion paper, 481. Financial Markets Group, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.

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Abstract

A bank can efficiently underwrite individually difficult to value IPOs by offering them as a package deal to a stable coalition of investors (block-booking). Block-booking banks set offer prices to equalize downside risk across their offerings, not expected returns. Examining US IPOs over the 1986 to 2003 period, I find that this is so. Given the return distribution on non-tech IPOs during non-boom years, equalizing downside risk implies that the average initial return on tech/boom IPOs equals 48% (actual value: 46%). The block-booking theory accounts for both the direction and magnitude of differences in average initial returns across IPO types.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	http://fmg.lse.ac.uk
Additional Information:	© 2004 The Author
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Initial public offerings, Underpricing, Book-building, Asymmetric information, Investment banking
Library of Congress subject classification:	H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory
Journal of Economic Literature Classification System:	D - Microeconomics > D8 - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty > D82 - Asymmetric and Private Information G - Financial Economics > G3 - Corporate Finance and Governance > G32 - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure G - Financial Economics > G1 - General Financial Markets > G18 - Government Policy and Regulation G - Financial Economics > G2 - Financial Institutions and Services > G24 - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage; Rating Agencies
Sets:	Research centres and groups > Financial Markets Group (FMG) Collections > Economists Online
Rights:	http://www.lse.ac.uk/library/rights/LSERO.htm
Identification Number:	481
URL:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/24679/

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