U.S. IPO Market Continues Gradual Recovery in 2024

Following an uptick in IPO activity in 2023, with Instacart, Klaviyo and Birkenstock among the larger names making their stock market debut last year, the U.S. IPO market continued its gradual recovery in 2024 so far. Three quarters into the year, the market has already eclipsed last year's total in terms of capital raised, as the number of completed offerings is just six shy of last year's total. Reddit's highly anticipated IPO in March was one of the banner deals of the year and served as proof of a slightly more favorable environment compared to the past two years. The company's shares are currently trading at $81, up more than 100 percent from its IPO price of $34.

According to Dealogic data analyzed by EY, companies raised $27.3 billion in 121 initial public offerings in the U.S. so far this year, compared to $19.4 billion in 101 IPOs during the same period of 2023. Going forward, EY expects IPO activity to possibly cool in Q4 as the U.S. presidential election and geopolitical concerns create an environment of uncertainty that companies and underwriting banks will try to avoid. That cautious approach could create a backlog of IPOs for 2025, which could see a return to more normal IPO activity if the Fed continues on its path of gradually loosening monetary conditions.