This article was published on 21 October 2021. Some information may be out of date.

Beware of the hype around IPOs (initial public offerings)

  • What are they?
  • Current examples
  • Recent research on the 32 NZ IPOs since 2013
  • Average performance: Good in first year, appalling long term
  • The good ones
  • The bad ones
  • Conclusion: Don’t ignore IPOs. But take care

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Mary Holm, ONZM, is a freelance journalist, a seminar presenter and a bestselling author on personal finance. She is a director of Financial Services Complaints Ltd (FSCL) and a former director of the Financial Markets Authority. Her opinions are personal, and do not reflect the position of any organisation in which she holds office. Mary’s advice is of a general nature, and she is not responsible for any loss that any reader may suffer from following it. Send questions to [email protected] or click here. Letters should not exceed 200 words. We won’t publish your name. Please provide a (preferably daytime) phone number. Unfortunately, Mary cannot answer all questions, correspond directly with readers, or give financial advice.