← Search

Journal of Financial Economics Vol. 85 No. 1 2007

Laddering in initial public offerings

Qing Hao

University of Missouri

Abstract

Laddering is a practice whereby the allocating underwriter requires the ladderer to buy additional shares of the issuer in the aftermarket as a condition for receiving shares at the offer price. This paper identifies factors that create incentives to engage in this type of manipulation and models the effect of laddering on initial public offering (IPO) pricing. I show that laddering has a bigger effect on the market price of IPOs with greater expected underpricing (without laddering) and greater expected momentum in the aftermarket; laddering increases the IPO offer price, the aftermarket price, and the money left on the table but does not necessarily increase the percentage underpricing; laddering contributes to long-run underperformance and creates a negative correlation between short-run and long-run returns; and profit-sharing increases the extent of laddering and the percentage underpricing.

DOI
10.1016/j.jfineco.2006.05.008
Volume
85
Issue
1
Pages
102-122
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

Cite