The biggest news in stocks thus far is clearly that of the S-1 filing by Facebook for its plans to have an initial public offering of stock in the second quarter of the year. The deal will make General Motors’ 2011 return to the market pale in comparison in terms of demand. Traders both retail and institutional are expected to clamor after shares in a similar nature to the market behavior of the 1999-2001 era.
Hopefully, Facebook’s IPO will bring a return to high volumes days in the market. Already the filing has caused a stir in volume at both the New York Stock Exchange as well as the Nasdaq. While the boost over last week’s volumes can’t be directly correlated to the S-1 filing, traders surveyed by Markets Media agreed that the excitement over Facebook “probably has something to do with it.”
Specific stocks related to social media and Facebook have also reaped the benefits of the filing. Video game publisher Zynga Inc. saw its shares rocket 14% in trading on Wednesday after it was revealed that the company accounted for 12% of Facebook’s 2011 revenue.
Wednesday also saw the listing of antivirus software maker AVG Technologies, listed on NYSE. Though shares fell below its initial pricing, the IPO also helped generate volume at the exchange. Caesar’s Entertainment Corp. will also IPO in a similar time frame to Facebook under the ticker CZR. The company will use funds to help develop new projects.