IPO

BörseErwachsene

Initial Public Offering – a company's stock market debut. Shares are sold to the public for the first time. Chance of high gains, but also high risk.

An IPO (Initial Public Offering) is the first sale of a company's shares on the stock exchange. Before that, the company was privately owned (founders, investors); now anyone can buy shares.

Why do companies go public? To raise capital for growth, pay out early investors or increase their profile.

Well-known IPOs in Germany: Porsche (2022, the largest European IPO in 25 years), Deutsche Telekom (1996, the "people's share"), Zalando (2014).

For private investors: IPOs sound exciting but are risky. Many shares fall below the issue price after the IPO. Experts advise: wait until the price has stabilised rather than buying on the first day.

Did you know? In 1996 Deutsche Telekom marketed its shares as the “people's share” – millions of Germans bought. The price rose from €14 to €100, then fell below €9. Many small investors lost their savings.

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