Brief

Investors pause other IPOs as Anthropic eyes $2 trillion debut

Large investors are holding cash for Anthropic’s planned mega‑IPO, leaving other high‑profile offerings on hold.

By Felo News Desk · Published Sat, 10 Oct 2026 01:08:23 GMT

Wall Street’s pipeline of new listings has slowed, with investors hoarding capital for Anthropic’s anticipated initial public offering that could value the San Francisco AI firm near $2 trillion and raise as much as $100 billion, according to the New York Post.

What happened

Anthropic, the creator of the Claude chatbot, announced a target valuation close to $2 trillion for its upcoming IPO, a figure that would eclipse SpaceX’s $86.2 billion debut in June 2026. The company’s filing suggests the offering could fetch up to $100 billion in the coming weeks. In the meantime, several other firms have delayed or cancelled their listings. Smart‑ring maker Oura postponed its Nasdaq debut hours before pricing at a $15.6 billion valuation, citing market uncertainty despite demand four times the supply. Holtec Nuclear suspended a planned $825 million IPO on September 17, and SoftBank delayed the listing of data‑center firm SB Energy after investors challenged a valuation exceeding $50 billion.

What the reports add

Matt Kennedy, senior strategist at Renaissance Capital, told the Post that Anthropic is “the lead story of the Q4 IPO market” and could raise more capital than all IPOs combined in 2024 and 2025. He added that investors now demand a discount of about 20 % on pricing, compared with the usual 10‑15 % range. Deutsche Bank analysts Marion Laboure and Camilla Siazon linked the slowdown to “uncertainty around the upcoming US midterm elections, ongoing geopolitical conflict and higher oil prices.”

What was said

“I don’t see Anthropic as being this black hole that prevents other companies from going public,” Kennedy said, emphasizing broader market conditions rather than a single dominant deal. University of Florida finance professor Jay Ritter told the Post that the market is distinguishing between “frontier” AI firms like Anthropic and capital‑intensive infrastructure businesses, which investors view as commodities.

How it came about

Anthropic’s filing, covered earlier by Felo News on September 29, highlighted massive 2025 losses of $42 billion, $4.6 billion in revenue and a planned $518 billion cloud‑spend commitment. The firm’s risk disclosures also warned of existential AI threats. Those figures set the stage for the current investor focus on valuation and discount levels, prompting other companies to pause until the market’s appetite for such mega‑deals is clearer.

Key facts

Anthropic is targeting a valuation near $2 trillion for its IPO. (nypost.com)
The IPO could raise up to $100 billion, surpassing SpaceX’s $86.2 billion debut. (nypost.com)
Oura postponed its Nasdaq listing at a $15.6 billion target valuation. (nypost.com)
Investors now seek about a 20 % discount on IPO pricing, up from the typical 10‑15 %. (nypost.com)
Deutsche Bank analysts cite US midterm elections, geopolitical conflict and higher oil prices as sources of market uncertainty. (nypost.com)