.Most big market debuts come with a lockup period—up to six months during which the bigwigs and early backers can't sell their shares. It's like keeping the sweets away from the kids, limiting how many shares are available for the public to snap up.
Since Arm's big debut in September, only 9.5 per cent of its shares were up for grabs. But with the lockup lifted, it's open season for investors to start cashing in. And get this – Softbank's sitting on a colossal 90 per cent stake, a whopping 930 million shares!
Tuesday's trading was hot, with about 18.1 million shares changing hands. That's a bit shy of the 25-day average of 28.5 million, but with so few shares out there, prices are on a rollercoaster ride.
Arm's shares have been on a rocket ride, shooting up 68 per cent since they dazzled the market with their quarterly figures in February. Thanks to the chip-hungry AI market that's gobbling up their designs.
The big question on everyone's lips is what Softbank will do with its treasure trove of shares. The mystery has got everyone on the edge of their seats.
And it's not just Softbank in the game; Nvidia, Google, and Intel have a piece of the Arm pie. Even Taiwan's TSMC let slip they sold off 850,000 shares in February.