Primary market characteristics and secondary market frictions of stocks.

Abstract: We analyze the primary market characteristics and the secondary market trading frictions of new stocks. IPOs issued in hot markets, with low offer price, low-reputation underwriters or no VC backing face higher liquidity frictions, higher information constraints, and worse short-sale constraints. Underpriced IPOs are more liquid and more recognizable, but they have higher idiosyncratic risk and higher short-sale constraints. Also, we find an interesting time trend in the evolution of the new stocks'' trading frictions: the mean-reversion of an average IPO stock toward a typical seasoned stock takes more than a few years. We propose a quality-based explanation for these findings. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]