Hot IPOs
The LA Times has a list of the hottest IPOs of the tech bubble. I am old enough to have forgotten most of these. The party on listing makes Linked In's debut look modest.
Some of these stock-stags were plain silly (TheGlobe.com) which (miraculously) is still quoted (at 1c per share) on the OTCBB.
One stands out as a genuine success story and a core part of modern internet technology - that is Akamai. However it is - despite considerable success - still trading well under the first day pop in the stock (though above the IPO price which makes it a real success story from the tech wreck).
The standout - the all time biggest IPO pop - is VA Linux - which has since been renamed "Geeknet". Its a real business: I use their products and even have positive feelings towards the company. Their stock chart however leaves something to be desired.
This stock rose 698 percent on the first day. Linked In is nowhere close (so maybe Facebook comes on with a market cap of $450 billion).
As a fund manager my guess is the best way to play this trend is to ignore it. Best to look where people are not looking. Everyone and their dog is looking at social media.
And socially so am I. I am off to open a Facebook account for my dog. Wonder if Lou Reed will "friend" him?
John
Just for kicks have a detailed look at the charts. VA Linux/Geeknet is trading roughly at its 2002 low. The Globe.Com had no comeback and Akamai is a fifty bagger from the lows. The real opportunities are during the crunch. But even if you picked Akamai as the winner out of these you probably purchased at at $5, $3 and $2 and buying at at 71c would not have happened. And you would have looked and felt like a sick puppy as you watched your quoted wealth evaporate.