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CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved.

IPO trading

Discover how you could gain exposure to a company’s shares – both before and after they list – with our guide to trading initial public offerings (IPOs).

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Start trading today. For account opening enquiries call 1800 601 799 between 9am and 6pm (AEDT) weekdays, or email newaccounts.au@ig.com.

Contact us: 1800 601 799

Start trading today. For account opening enquiries call 1800 601 799 between 9am and 6pm (AEDT) weekdays, or email newaccounts.au@ig.com.

Contact us: 1800 601 799

Contact us: 1800 601 799

Why trade IPOs with IG?

Get exposure to shares pre-IPO

Buy or sell based on your prediction of a company’s market cap

Invest in shares after an IPO

Buy and own physical shares with a share trading account

Speculate on share price movements

Go long or short on leverage with CFD trading

What is an IPO?

How can you trade an IPO?

Pre-IPO: grey market

Our exclusive grey markets1 CFD enable you to speculate on a company’s market cap before it lists.
You’d ‘buy’ if you think the market cap will be higher than the grey market price at the end of the first trading day, or ‘sell’ if you think it will be lower. Find out more.

After the IPO: trading or investing

After a company has listed, we offer two ways for you to attempt to profit from the initial public offering. You’ll be able to:

  • Go long or short on the share price by trading CFDs
  • Buy and own physical company shares by share trading
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Open an account now

Open an account now

Fast execution on a huge range of markets

Enjoy flexible access to more than 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution

Deal seamlessly, wherever you are

Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app

Feel secure with a trusted provider

With 48 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service

Create demo account
Create live account
Create demo account
Create live account

Open an account now

Open an account now

Fast execution on a huge range of markets

Enjoy flexible access to more than 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution

Deal seamlessly, wherever you are

Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app

Feel secure with a trusted provider

With 48 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service

Create live account
Create live account

Start trading now

Log in to your account now to access today’s opportunity in a huge range of markets.

Log in

Start trading now

Log in to your account now to access today’s opportunity in a huge range of markets.

Log in

IPO trading steps

Follow the steps below to start trading IPOs:

1. Learn how IPOs work

Discover everything you need to know in our guide to IPOs

2. Choose an IPO to trade

Explore upcoming IPOs with in-depth expert analysis

3. Decide whether to trade derivatives or buy shares

Learn about the differences between buying and trading shares, and choose the method that’s right for you

4. Open an IG account

Create a live account if you want to start trading on live markets, or open a demo account to practise with $20,000 in virtual funds

5. Build your IPO trading plan and strategy

Make sure you know when to take profits and cut losses

6. Open your first position

Trade on with leverage via CFDs or buy the ETFs outright through our share trading service.

Learn more in our detailed guide to trading IPOs

What is an IPO?

An IPO, or initial public offering, is the first sale of stock issued by a company. It is one of many ways in which companies seek to raise capital. Listing on a stock exchange helps to increase the exposure of a company, which means that IPOs can increase sales and profit. For traders and investors, an IPO can be a great way of buying shares of a company – or taking a position on its price movements – the moment it hits the stock market.

Learn more about what IPOs are and how they work

FAQs

Can I make money trading initial public offerings (IPOs)?

Yes, you can make money trading initial public offerings if you correctly predict share price movements. You can do this pre-IPO through our grey market CFDs, or after the IPO by speculating on share price movements using CFDs. You could also profit from an IPO if you buy shares outright via share trading and the share price goes up.

Is it a good idea to invest in an IPO?

Whether or not it is a good idea to invest in an IPO depends on your risk appetite. Some IPOs perform very well, while others can disappoint when shares hit the market. Financial markets can be very volatile following a high-profile IPO, which is why you need a proper risk management strategy in place if you want to buy, sell or short shares.

Can I trade shares before the IPO?

No, but you can speculate on the share price before the IPO if IG offers a grey market. By trading a grey market CFD, you’re taking a position on a company’s potential market capitalisation ahead of its IPO. If you think that the company will be worth more than the price indicated, you can ‘buy’ the market. If you think that the price is an overvaluation, you can ‘sell’.

You might be interested in…

<h3>How to buy or trade shares</h3>
<h3>Upcoming IPOs</h3>
<h3>ETF trading</h3>

Learn how to buy and sell shares online with IG

A list of upcoming IPOs in the UK, US and globally

Trade from thousands of ETFs with CFDs

1 We do not offer grey markets on all IPOs.