IPO fever rises again

 

latest developments

Liberate Technologies, formerly Network Computer, is the latest to buy into the IPO frenzy. E-tailer Drugstore.com also has filed to go public, while eToys and CAIS shares soar on their first trading days. "Across the board, you are going to see earlier and earlier entrance to public markets, as long as the public has an appetite for it." - Lauren Cooks Levitan, BancBoston Robertson Stephens analyst

Newly named Liberate catches IPO bug The former Network Computer files to go public to finance its attempts to garner more of the market for TV set-top boxes and other information appliances. Going public at the speed of Net Drugstore.com's rush to go public is only the latest example of what one analyst deemed the "theater of the absurd" as Internet companies scramble to offer shares to a public eager to grab new stocks from any firm with ".com" in its name eToys IPO takes a rocket ride update Shares in the online toy retailer nearly quadruple on its first day of trading. Drugstore.com files for early IPO Barely three months after launching its Web site, Drugstore.com is making a rush for the IPO gate. High-speed provider climbs after IPO update CAIS Internet, which provides high-speed Internet access for hotels and apartment buildings, rises 16 percent in its first day of trading following an initial stock sale. eToys prices IPO at $20 per share update The online toy retailer settles on the high end of a range that it earlier increased by a wide margin.