Volatile market to live on, says Clearwater
Many companies planning on floating will change or delay their plans as the "volatile" marketplace looks set to stay. That's what Phil Burns, managing director at Clearwater Corporate Finance, told Insider.
Burns said the market had been increasingly volatile in 2011 as uncertainty in the wider economy continues to affect businesses.
"We expect clients to at least dual or tripletrack their initial public offering (IPO) process with other more predictable outcomes," said Burns, who is based in Clearwater's Birmingham office.
"The demand for strategic acquisitions from large corporates both domestically and abroad will remain high in 2012, and will be the more popular alternative where owners are looking at an IPO as an exit route, and with much less risk than an IPO in the current climate."
He added that businesses looking at IPO as a means of raising funds to refinance or grow are likely to turn to private equity as an alternative.
