Renaissance Capital

Facebook was supposed to soar. Instead, it plunged. After the social network's stock fizzled on Friday in its long-awaited debut, its stock fell 11 percent on Monday, even as the rest of the stock market rallied. The downward spiral has left some people sitting on big losses, and others scratching their heads. After all, nothing fundamental has changed at Facebook in the days since the much-hyped company came to the stock market — Facebook still has more than 900 million users, its 28-year-old founder Mark Zuckerberg controls the company, and it is still one of the few...

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook's newly public stock is sliding further on its third trading day as investors reconsider how much the social network is worth. The company's long-anticipated initial public offering of stock raised $16 billion, valuing the company at $104 billion — more than Amazon.com Inc., at $98 billion. But Facebook's stock has plunged after the IPO. It fell 8.9 percent to close at $31, and has falled 19 percent in two days. The downward spiral has left some people sitting on big losses and others scratching their heads.

In the hours before Facebook's stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the first time, CEO Mark Zuckerberg reminded the company's 3,500 employees not to get caught up in the hoopla surrounding its long-awaited initial public offering. "Right now this all seems like a big deal," Zuckerberg said before he pushed a button that rang Nasdaq's opening bell from company headquarters at 1 Hacker Way in Menlo Park, Calif. "Going public is an important milestone in our history.

Facebook was supposed to soar. Instead, it plunged. After the social network's stock fizzled on Friday in its long-awaited debut, its stock fell 11 percent on Monday, even as the rest of the stock market rallied. The downward spiral has left some people sitting on big losses, and others scratching their heads. After all, nothing fundamental has changed at Facebook in the days since the much-hyped company came to the stock market — Facebook still has more than 900 million users, its 28-year-old founder Mark Zuckerberg controls the company, and it is still one of the few...

Facebook Inc. and its shareholders raised $16 billion in an initial public offering of stock. It is the largest IPO by far for an Internet company. The amount raised comes from how many shares were sold by the company and its early investors — 421.2 million — at the IPO price of $38. Shares sold in an IPO are typically just a fraction of the total shares a company has issued. That's why, at an IPO price of $38 per share, all of Facebook's share give the company an initial market value of $104 billion.

Facebook found more than enough friends. The world's definitive online social network said Thursday that it raised $16 billion for itself and its early investors in an initial public stock offering that values Facebook at $104 billion. That's more than Amazon.com and other well-known companies such as Kraft, Walt Disney and McDonald's. It's a big windfall for a company that began eight years ago with no way to make money. Facebook priced its IPO at $38 per share on Thursday, at the top of expectations.

More than 200 companies nationwide, including nine in Massachusetts, are registered to go public this year, but whether they take the leap in 2012 will depend on the stock market, Europe, and Facebook. A receptive climate for initial public offerings "will take a stable stock market, which means that the European debt situation doesn't blow up, and Congress deals with the payroll tax, and there are no dramatic moves in the Middle East or Korea," said Mark Heesen, president of the National Venture Capital Association.

Responding to extraordinary demand, Facebook said Wednesday that it would sell more stock in the company's initial public offering. But ahead of the IPO, a debate emerged between two of the nation's largest automakers: Does it pay to advertise on the social network? General Motors, the nation's largest automaker, said it would abandon Facebook ads after concluding they were ineffective. At the same time, Ford reaffirmed its commitment to Facebook, saying their relationship was stronger than ever.

NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook's newly public stock is sliding further on its third trading day as investors reconsider how much the social network is worth. The company's long-anticipated initial public offering of stock raised $16 billion, valuing the company at $104 billion — more than Amazon.com Inc., at $98 billion. But Facebook's stock has plunged after the IPO. It fell 8.9 percent to close at $31, and has falled 19 percent in two days. The downward spiral has left some people sitting on big losses and others...

The IPO market is heating up. A growing economy and rising stock market are prompting more startups to go public, and investors appear hungry to invest. This week, organic mac n' cheese maker Annie's and mobile ad firm Millennial Media posted the biggest first-day gains since networking site LinkedIn debuted last May. And Facebook's highly anticipated initial public stock offering is just weeks away. After lying largely dormant for three years, the IPO market is churning again.

In the hours before Facebook's stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the first time, CEO Mark Zuckerberg reminded the company's 3,500 employees not to get caught up in the hoopla surrounding its long-awaited initial public offering. "Right now this all seems like a big deal," Zuckerberg said before he pushed a button that rang Nasdaq's opening bell from company headquarters at 1 Hacker Way in Menlo Park, Calif. "Going public is an important milestone in our history.

After all the hype, Facebook's first day as a public company ended where it began. Its stock closed at $38.23, up 23 cents, after pricing Thursday night at $38 per share. After an anxiety-filled half-hour delay, its stock began trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market for the first time as investors were finally able to put a dollar value on the company that turned online social networking into a global cultural phenomenon. The stock opened at 11:32 a.m. at $42.05, but soon dipped to $38.01.

Facebook Inc. and its shareholders raised $16 billion in an initial public offering of stock. It is the largest IPO by far for an Internet company. The amount raised comes from how many shares were sold by the company and its early investors — 421.2 million — at the IPO price of $38. Shares sold in an IPO are typically just a fraction of the total shares a company has issued. That's why, at an IPO price of $38 per share, all of Facebook's share give the company an initial market value of $104 billion.

NEW YORK — Responding to extraordinary demand, Facebook said Wednesday that it would sell more stock in the company's initial public offering. But ahead of the IPO, a debate emerged between two of the nation's largest automakers: Does it pay to advertise on the social network? General Motors, the nation's largest automaker, said it would abandon Facebook ads after concluding they were ineffective. At the same time, Ford reaffirmed its commitment to Facebook, saying the relationship was stronger than ever.

Facebook found more than enough friends. The world's definitive online social network said Thursday that it raised $16 billion for itself and its early investors in an initial public stock offering that values Facebook at $104 billion. That's more than Amazon.com and other well-known companies such as Kraft, Walt Disney and McDonald's. It's a big windfall for a company that began eight years ago with no way to make money. Facebook priced its IPO at $38 per share on Thursday, at the top of expectations.

Responding to extraordinary demand, Facebook said Wednesday that it would sell more stock in the company's initial public offering. But ahead of the IPO, a debate emerged between two of the nation's largest automakers: Does it pay to advertise on the social network? General Motors, the nation's largest automaker, said it would abandon Facebook ads after concluding they were ineffective. At the same time, Ford reaffirmed its commitment to Facebook, saying their relationship was stronger than ever.

NEW YORK — Responding to extraordinary demand, Facebook said Wednesday that it would sell more stock in the company's initial public offering. But ahead of the IPO, a debate emerged between two of the nation's largest automakers: Does it pay to advertise on the social network? General Motors, the nation's largest automaker, said it would abandon Facebook ads after concluding they were ineffective. At the same time, Ford reaffirmed its commitment to Facebook, saying the relationship was stronger than ever.