IPOs: Risk or opportunity?

Initial Public Offerings of shares; love them or hate them, they are an essential part of a functioning share market. On one side of the fence, we have the naysayers, with warnings that private equity sellers and business owners will always know more than investors. On the other side, we have stock brokers and investment bankers, spruiking the incredible returns they claim their investors have received. Simon Shields reminds investors; “sometimes there are good reasons [a business] is coming to market.” Rhett Kessler, however, warns investors; “remember that there’s a whole industry built around bringing these to market - the broking & investment banking industry - that makes money out of it, and they’re very good at what they do.” In this thematic discussion, Simon Shields, Principal at Monash Investors, and Rhett Kessler, Portfolio Manager at Pengana Capital, share their thoughts on some upcoming IPOs, and the general IPO market.