The Deregulation of the Private Equity Markets and the Decline in IPOs
The deregulation of securities laws|in particular the National Securities Markets Improvement Act (NSMIA) of 1996|has increased the supply of private capital to late-stage private startups, which are now able to grow to a size that few private firms used to reach. NSMIA is one of a number of factors that have changed the going-public versus staying-private trade-off, helping bring about a new equilibrium where fewer startups go public, and those that do are older. This new equilibrium does not reflect an IPO market failure. Rather, founders are using their increased bargaining power vis-a-vis investors to stay private longer.
Non-Technical Summaries
- Twenty-six percent of firms first financed in 1994, before a 1996 law that boosted private equity markets, went public through an IPO....
Published Versions
Michael Ewens & Joan Farre-Mensa & Andrew Karolyi, 2020. "The Deregulation of the Private Equity Markets and the Decline in IPOs," The Review of Financial Studies, vol 33(12), pages 5463-5509. citation courtesy of 
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