More to IPOs Than Meets the Eye

The FitBit IPO made the biggest splash in the world of initial public offerings last week. The maker of high-tech fitness products went public last week and raised more than $730 million in the process. But it should also serve as a lesson in how these things are perceived by the public. Some things to keep in mind:

• High-tech or consumer-friendly IPOs tend to get a lot more ink than less-exciting companies. FitBit isn't close to being the biggest IPO this year; Columbia Pipeline Partners and Tallgrass Energy each raised more than $1 billion.
  
• Despite some high-profile deals, IPO activity is down significantly this year. Through June 10, there have been 57 IPOs this year, raising $10.5 billion; those numbers for the same time frame in 2014 were 110 and $19.9 billion.