Home-sharing giant Airbnb Inc, which is scheduled to go public this week, is to significantly raise its initial public offering (IPO) price, valuing the group at more than US$40 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.
The group is expected to announce a price range of US$56 to US$60 a share, up from US$44 to US$50, the paper said.
Airbnb did not respond when contacted on Sunday for comment.
Photo: Reuters
The vacation rental platform, which has managed to turn the tide after a few difficult months at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, said its initial public offering would include 51.9 million shares.
The group is to go public on Thursday and would be listed on the NASDAQ Composite stock exchange platform under the symbol “ABNB.”
At the increased price, the champion of the gig economy could reach a stock market valuation of US$42 billion.
In a testament to Wall Street’s appetite for IPOs for new unicorns, meal delivery service DoorDash Inc is to make its debut on the market one day before Airbnb.
The start-up, propelled by business restrictions due to the virus, on Friday also raised its IPO unit price range to US$90 to US$95 per share, versus US$75 to US$85 previously.
The meal delivery company would now be aiming for a valuation of more than US$30 billion.
Wall Street has set new records in the past two weeks, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the NASDAQ closing on Friday at all-time highs.
UNCERTAINTY: Innolux activated a stringent supply chain management mechanism, as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure optimal inventory levels for customers Flat-panel display makers AUO Corp (友達) and Innolux Corp (群創) yesterday said that about 12 to 20 percent of their display business is at risk of potential US tariffs and that they would relocate production or shipment destinations to mitigate the levies’ effects. US tariffs would have a direct impact of US$200 million on AUO’s revenue, company chairman Paul Peng (彭雙浪) told reporters on the sidelines of the Touch Taiwan trade show in Taipei yesterday. That would make up about 12 percent of the company’s overall revenue. To cope with the tariff uncertainty, AUO plans to allocate its production to manufacturing facilities in
TAKING STOCK: A Taiwanese cookware firm in Vietnam urged customers to assess inventory or place orders early so shipments can reach the US while tariffs are paused Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam are exploring alternatives after the White House imposed a 46 percent import duty on Vietnamese goods, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on the US’ trading partners. Lo Shih-liang (羅世良), chairman of Brico Industry Co (裕茂工業), a Taiwanese company that manufactures cast iron cookware and stove components in Vietnam, said that more than 40 percent of his business was tied to the US market, describing the constant US policy shifts as an emotional roller coaster. “I work during the day and stay up all night watching the news. I’ve been following US news until 3am
Taiwan will prioritize the development of silicon photonics by taking advantage of its strength in the semiconductor industry to build another shield to protect the local economy, National Development Council (NDC) Minister Paul Liu (劉鏡清) said yesterday. Speaking at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee, Liu said Taiwan already has the artificial intelligence (AI) industry as a shield, after the semiconductor industry, to safeguard the country, and is looking at new unique fields to build more economic shields. While Taiwan will further strengthen its existing shields, over the longer term, the country is determined to focus on such potential segments as
COLLABORATION: Given Taiwan’s key position in global supply chains, the US firm is discussing strategies with local partners and clients to deal with global uncertainties Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD) yesterday said it is meeting with local ecosystem partners, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), to discuss strategies, including long-term manufacturing, to navigate uncertainties such as US tariffs, as Taiwan occupies an important position in global supply chains. AMD chief executive officer Lisa Su (蘇姿丰) told reporters that Taiwan is an important part of the chip designer’s ecosystem and she is discussing with partners and customers in Taiwan to forge strong collaborations on different areas during this critical period. AMD has just become the first artificial-intelligence (AI) server chip customer of TSMC to utilize its advanced