From IPO to ETF: The Case for Facebook
July 17th at 11:08am by Tom Lydon
If the rumors are true, then social-network giant Facebook might be included in an exchange traded fund (ETF) soon. However, it’s a long road ahead before that happens.
What perked our ears is the post by Tate Dwinnell of Self Investors that says Facebook recently posted an advertisement for a stock administration manager. This indicates that Mark Zuckerberg and his top executives are toying with the idea of an initial public offering (IPO) filing. The other rumor floating around is that Microsoft will acquire Facebook. Either speculation is a strong possibility.
If Facebook filed for an IPO, it would create the first sale of its common shares to investors on a public stock exchange. After becoming public, Facebook’s enormous market capitalization would make it attractive to the First Trust Dow Jones Internet Index (FDN). In turn, this would help the acceptance of the Facebook IPO, which may enhance its performance further. In addition, there’s the possibility that the Facebook IPO could be tracked by the First Trust IOPX-100 (FPX), which follows the largest U.S. IPOs. Of course, it would have to meet FPX’s requirements.
