Business | Stockmarket listings in America

Going public? Here is a how-to guide

As flotations boom, we look at what is changing at a key moment in capitalism

“A FLOTATION IS like your own funeral. You usually do it only once,” deadpans the chief financial officer of a software company that recently staged a blockbuster initial public offering (IPO). Some compare a listing to a wedding, requiring much frantic preparation and ending with a big celebration and bell-ringing. Others liken it to an 18th birthday, marking the moment a young company is launched into the harsh realities of adult life.

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “A key moment in capitalism”

China's new reality

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