Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said a direct listing was 'more true to the ethos of crypto.'
When Coinbase shares officially hit the market Wednesday, everyone, from the little guy to big, institutional investors, will get a crack at the stock at the same time.
So here’s what a growing crowd of retail investors might want to know: What’s the difference between a direct listing and a traditional IPO, and how does that affect my bottom line? The underwriter then turns around and offers those IPO shares to clients that can include hedge funds and mutual funds, said Ritter, who teaches at University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business.
To understand the direct listing approach, just subtract the underwriter from the sequence of events, according to Ritter. “Anybody can buy, once the stock starts trading,” he said. “With traditional IPOs, tech stocks tend to be underpriced more than other IPOs,” Ritter said. “These are the companies that are most worried about selling stock to underwriters at $20 and seeing it trade at $30.”