Is the shrinking supply of US stocks coming to an end?
Core argument: Goldman Sachs estimates net US equity supply — new shares less buybacks and take-privates — will be almost flat in 2026, after being negative since 2003, with an even greater influx expected in 2027 as this year's IPO lock-ups expire.
Goldman Sachs estimates net supply of equity in the US — measured by new shares hitting the market less equity removed by buybacks or companies going private — will be almost flat in 2026, having been in negative territory since 2003. The bank expects an even greater influx of new shares in 2027, as lock-up periods on this year’s IPOs expire. Sixty US companies have gone public this year, raising nearly $40bn, the highest year-to-date deal value since 2021, according to data from Dealogic that excludes listings of blank-cheque companies. Goldman expects that figure to rise to a record $225bn this year following the raft of big listings. SpaceX is aiming to raise as much as $86bn in its IPO later this week. Share sales by companies already on public markets could represent a bigger shift. Alphabet last week raised nearly $85bn in a historic equity raise to fund its vast AI investment, a sale expected to turn the Google owner into a net issuer of stock for the first time in 11 years, according to George Pearkes, an analyst at Bespoke Investment Group.

