Facebook shareholders should get premium services on Facebook. Like a trash can for their shares or a dislike button for everything or instant chat with some bot who says "deez nuts" all the time or $4 coupon for ads or 134 free ads lol
As a retail customer you are already at a disadvantage when buying a "shitty deal" new issue. After the lock-up period, which I know you know about, that brokers may not mention anything about to their retail customers, those who got "locked-up shares" are going to dump them. The retail customers are going to be left holding the bag. If you want to buy a new issue, as a retail customer, wait and buy after the anointed ones have dumped their shares. An exception might be an issue like Google that did their own IPO and did not use Wall Street Crooks to promote it. The Carl Levin Video that Shopster posted should be enough to convince anyone that as a retail customer you don't want to be buying stuff promoted by Wall Street investment banks.
Yes, good points. From the Facebook registration statement (publicly available), there are HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF SHARES coming to market after the 90th trading day, all the way to one year out. Until then FB is a trading vehicle. Just look what happened to Zynga (ZNGA) when their lock up expired recently. Groupon's (GRPN) lock up is due very soon. Insiders cash out, retail investors take the drawdown, and Wall Street wins...again!
Too true. A good rule of thumb with any financial product is the harder they push it the more you want to run away.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/may/29/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-rome-tip <b>"When in Rome ... tip! Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg dubbed a skinflint Roman restaurateur defends multibillionaire social network guru over lack of tip on â¬32 honeymoon meal bill"</b> he's not having a good time with his stock dumpin and all probably couldn't stretch to it...