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The World Ahead | Finance in 2025

Do not expect a flurry of stockmarket debuts in 2025

Share prices are close to all-time highs, but private firms do not seem tempted

Illustration of a floatation tank and IPO's floating inside
Illustration: Maria Frade

By Josh Roberts, Capital markets correspondent, The Economist

Speak to the bankers who make their living floating private companies on the public markets and you will sense a frisson of excitement about the coming year. Initial public offerings (IPOs) have been thin on the ground for some time. Now, though, stockmarkets are buoyant and companies are eager to raise new capital.

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This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition of The World Ahead 2025 under the headline “Flotation tanks”

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