With stock markets hitting highs and a flood of new companies selling their shares to investors, it's easy to get FOMOIPO — fear of missing out on initial public offerings. But the fortunes of many of the debuts in this year's surge are tied to artificial intelligence (AI) or cryptocurrency, making the batch of new issues perhaps even riskier than the typical crop.
Through September 30, there were 161 U.S. IPOs, according to IPO research firm Renaissance Capital, compared with 150 for the entirety of 2024. Renaissance counted 64 IPOs in the third quarter, raising a combined $15.3 billion—the biggest quarter for new issuance since 2021.
