Anthropic's U.S. IPO Countdown: Companies Scramble for Prime Listing Windows

Anthropic's IPO plans have become a pressing issue for a host of companies preparing for public listings, all of which now need to find the right window to capture investor attention.

Last week, reports emerged that Anthropic is preparing to publicly file documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with a formal IPO launch expected within the coming weeks. The fundraising target could reach or even exceed SpaceX's record-breaking $86.2 billion.

According to insiders, as Anthropic's potential IPO date draws near, other companies preparing for listings are finding it increasingly difficult to attract the attention of long-term institutional investors and sovereign wealth funds.

Earlier this year, a similar rush occurred ahead of another mega-IPO: in the month before SpaceX went public, 14 large companies completed their listings. However, the performance of these hastily listed firms was disappointing, with data showing a weighted average decline of 9.5% in their stock prices.

The upcoming IPO window is expected to be tighter than in previous years, as the U.S. midterm elections in November and higher-than-expected inflation data loom. As a result, companies may choose to complete their listings around the time of Anthropic's IPO rather than delay.

Rob Stowe, Head of Americas Equity Capital Markets at Barclays, said, "The situation is indeed tricky. I expect September to be extremely busy, possibly extending into October."

He pointed to the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting in mid-September and the U.S. general election in early November as key hurdles for companies. "Market activity will be very active, but it will be concentrated in just a few short windows," he added.