What is Offering?

The offering is the term used to define the securities or shares that have been issued or sold by the company. The term is often used interchangeably with the Initial Public Offering that makes the stocks and financial products available for the general public to purchase. An offering can also be used in reference to the Bonds.

Commonly known as the funding round, the initial public offering involves the selling of bonds and securities to the public. This is especially done to raise Capital for the company’s growth or a major project that needs funding. Some companies issue the stocks to the public due to liquidity issues, i.e. when they don’t have enough money to meet the working capital requirements. The investors need to be extra careful about such offerings.

Understanding Initial Public Offering

When the organization decides to issue its shares for the general public, they form an IPO group. This includes the CPAs, securities and exchange commission, lawyers, and underwriters. The next step is to draft the report consisting of the financial health and overall performance of the company. This must also include the reasons the company has decided to issue shares to the public. Additionally, the report must mention the future plans of the organization.

The report is to be circulated among the executives and other associates. In some cases, the organizations may decide to create a shelf prospectus that give people the details of the shares and types of securities this company is planning to issue in the coming years. The company has to submit its financial statement to the independent auditor. Once the financial status of the company is reviewed, they can draft the shelf prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission and select the date for this initial offering.

Difference Between Initial and Secondary Offering

While public offerings seem to be a great opportunity for investors, they carry risks. This is especially a bit risky for individual traders who are new to the share Market. Things get even more challenging when you don’t have the historical offering data of the company to analyze its performance. It is quite difficult to predict how well these stocks are going to perform. Besides that, the initial public offerings are issued mostly when the company is working on a financial project or is going through a transitory phase. The underwriters and other associates of the company are supposed to work with the issuing body to ensure that they have fulfilled all the regulatory requirements. They may also need to consult with the investment companies and brokerage firms to set the right price for the offerings.

The secondary market for securities involves trading between traders. Basically, the shares that are issued to the public can be sold to other investors in the secondary market. The proceeds from the sale of these shares go to the Investing companies rather than the organization that issued the shares. The shares issued in the secondary market do not involve a lot of research or any background work.