Spare a thought for investment bankers. No, really. After the 2008 financial crisis, it took years for faith to be restored in bankers, and accepting that both the fees charged and the lengthy process involved in taking their company public was worth it.

And then Brexit happened. And Trump was elected. Seemingly, years of work to restoring faith in the system had been dismantled in just weeks. Or had it?

2017 was the busiest year for global IPOs since the depths of the financial crisis in 2008, while 2017 proceeds were at their highest since 2014. With the value of IPOs surging, going public is back in vogue.

This report reviews the biggest IPOs of 2017, previews both the confirmed and unconfirmed offerings taking place in 2018, and provides details of how you can trade the biggest year for IPOs in years.

IPOs are back

2017 was a surprise for many – rocketing global stock markets alongside a healthy number of new public listings saw the year crowned the best in a decade.

Things got off to a fast start as Snap Inc became the second largest New York Stock Exchange listing ever when it debuted in March. The company raised $20bn, just shy of Alibaba’s largest ever IPO in 2014.

Meanwhile, London saw the value of its 77 IPOs in 2017 more than double 2016’s tally, according to EY.

Successful 2017 listings on the LSE include Alfa Financial, Allied Irish Banks, Eddie Stobart, EN+ Footasylum and Global Ports, with the total value of UK IPOs eventually reaching £13bn, despite some firms postponing listings amid uncertain conditions.

The big event of 2018

With concerns about the IPO market health fading, and after years of preparation, investors and traders are preparing for the most anticipated IPO ever.

Saudi Aramco, the $1.5tn Saudi state oil producer, is set to float 5% of the company, or $75bn, in London or New York in 2018, reports the FT. The IPO would be three times larger than Alibaba’s, and Aramco would become the world’s most valuable public company.

How can you trade IPOs?

Not all IPOs are open to the public initially, with the purchase of shares at the official IPO offer price often reserved only for the largest financial institutions. Therefore, we will review the alternatives available to traders, and how and when you can get involved.

Want to know more?

The largest of global IPOs tend to be heavily traded, with significant trading activity for weeks after the listing day. To get involved you need a trusted broker to keep you in the loop. If major news is announced when will you find out? That same day? The next?

The benefits of working with Accendo Markets speak for themselves: A dedicated trader will call you with accurate information in-time and on-time, not just some time, to make sure you are able to participate in the UK’s biggest IPOs in a cost-effective manner.

To find out how Accendo Markets can help you trade 2018 IPOs, contact our trading floor on 020 3051 7461 or [email protected] to speak directly to one of our traders. Alternatively, you can sign up to have the research department’s award-winning content delivered directly to your inbox.