Hoovers IPO Scorecard Business Intelligence Reveals Major YearOverYear Decline In New Offerings for Q1 2008



According to recent business intelligence (http://www.hoovers.com/business-information/--pageid__4546--/global-ipoc-index.xhtml) regarding IPOs (initial public offerings), the number of U.S. IPOs decreased 73% for Q1 2008 compared to the same quarter a year ago, as reported today by Hoover's IPO Scorecard. Hoover's, Inc. (www.hoovers.com), a D&B company, provides its customers the fastest path to business with insightful information about companies, industries and key decision makers, along with the powerful tools to find and connect to the right people to get business done.

According to business intelligence (http://www.hoovers.com/business-information/--pageid__4546--/global-ipoc-index.xhtml) from Hoover's, in Q1 2008, only 12 companies went public on the major U.S. stock exchanges, raising $18.9 billion, compared to Q1 2007 when 44 companies went public, raising $8.5 billion. However, Visa Inc.'s mega IPO contributed the lion's share - $17.9 billion - of that Q1 2008 total. This represents the first year-over-year decline in the number of U.S. IPOs since Q3 2006 and is a far cry from the 70 IPOs of the immediately preceding fourth quarter of 2007.

Findings from Hoover's IPO Scorecard for the first quarter 2008:

* Best First-Day Gain:    Asia Time Corporation         143%

* Worst First-Day Drop:    MAKO Surgical Corp.         -8%

* Current Media, the independent youth-oriented cable TV network founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and entrepreneur Joel Hyatt, filed in Q1 2008 for a $100 million IPO on the stock exchange (http://www.hoovers.com/business-information/--pageid__4546--/global-ipoc-index.xhtml), which is expected to price before May 2008.

* The highly anticipated IPO of Visa Inc. finally occurred on the stock exchange (http://www.hoovers.com/business-information/--pageid__4546--/global-ipoc-index.xhtml) in March, pricing above its expected per share range and raising $17.9 billion, making it the largest IPO ever for a U.S. company, and knocking AT&T Wireless' 2000 IPO of $10.6 billion to the #2 spot.

"As the broader market goes, typically so goes the IPO market. IPO withdrawals and postponements were rampant in Q1 because investors were so concerned about subprime mortgage losses and the slowing economy," said Tim Walker, Hoover's industry expert. "But it's not surprising that the Visa IPO was immune to broader investment trends. Partly this is because the company doesn't actually lend money to consumers - its consortium of banks does. Visa simply collects fees each time someone uses a Visa credit or debit card. It's also important to remember that Visa's IPO success shouldn't be an indicator for general IPO performance in coming quarters, since Visa is one of those few brands strong enough to debut in any economy."

Hoover's delivers business intelligence (http://www.hoovers.com/business-information/--pageid__4546--/global-ipoc-index.xhtml) via comprehensive insight and analysis about the companies, industries and people you need to know and analyzes the IPO market daily to produce the quarterly IPO Scorecard. Each IPO Scorecard includes an assortment of facts selected by Hoover's editors for those following the IPO market, including the best- and worst-performing IPOs, the biggest one-day jumps and drops in the first day of stock exchange (http://www.hoovers.com/business-information/--pageid__4546--/global-ipoc-index.xhtml) trading, and a breakdown of IPOs by industry sector.

Please see the attached table for the best-returning IPOs for Q1 2008.

About Hoover's, Inc.

Hoover's, a D&B company, provides its customers the fastest path to business by delivering business intelligence (http://www.hoovers.com/business-information/--pageid__4546--/global-ipoc-index.xhtml) and insightful information about companies, industries and key decision makers, along with the powerful tools to find and connect to the right people to get business done. Hoover's provides this information for sales, marketing, business development, and other professionals who need intelligence on U.S. and global companies, industries, and the people who lead them. Hoover's unique combination of editorial expertise and one-of-a-kind data collection with user-generated and company-supplied content gives customers a 360-degree view and competitive edge. This information, along with powerful tools to search, sort, download and integrate the content, is available through Hoover's (http://www.hoovers.com), the company's premier online service. Hoover's is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Lisa Glass

512 / 374-4662

lglass @ hoovers.com





Hoovers IPO Scorecard Business Intelligence Reveals Major YearOverYear Decline In New Offerings for Q1 2008