Initial Public Offerings Set a Record Value in 2020 Share Share Trending Initial public offerings set a record value in 2020 with $167.65 billion from 457 deals fueled by Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) that raise money without a specified purpose, according to Dealogic, a provider of financial content and analytics. The initial public offerings set a record value in 2020 compared to all other years going back to 1995 when Dealogic began tracking the information. In terms of the total number of initial public offerings (IPOs), 2020 ranks fifth in falling short of the historically high 848 in 1996, 621 in 1997, 586 in 1995 and 547 in 1999. The IPO market surged in 2020 for the same reason other investments did well, as near-0% interest rates led investors to seek returns in new places, said Bob Carlson, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Virginia’s Fairfax County Employees’ Retirement System with more than $4 billion in assets.