Prada SpA is reportedly interviewing advisors for an initial public offering that could value that company as high as $5.6 billion, making it the biggest luxury goods company in the world. Many investors are carefully watching the situation as Prada could become yet another hot IPO.

"Prada has cleaned up its balance sheet and is doing very well," said Armando Branchini, vice president of Intercorporate SpA in Milan, a consulting company that specializes in the luxury market. "Prospects are also good for the industry."

This isn't the first time Prada considered an IPO either. The first time the company considered an IPO was in 2001 when analysts estimated the company's value at closer to $10 billion; however, the September 11th attacks canceled those plans. Meanwhile, the company's June 2002 plans were also thrown off by plunging stock markets.

Prada continues to tread carefully, according to a company spokesperson, "We will look into the IPO process, but nothing has been decided yet. We are under no pressure to go."

Meanwhile, investor appetite for fashion companies remains extremely strong with companies like Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) performing extremely well. Now investors will just have to wait for the company to file its F-1 with the SEC before it can be traded as an ADR in the United States.

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BioFuel Energy (NDAQ:BIOF) is a development-stage company formed to build and operate a series of ethanol production facilities in the Midwest United States. The company went public on June 20th of this year and has drew the attention of investors today after Daniel Loeb's Third Point hedge fund disclosed a massive 30 percent stake in the company.

The billion dollar hedge fund manager has built up an impressive trackrecord through not only his activist investments but also his passive ones. In fact, his annual return since his fund's inception in 1995 stands at around 28 percent. Therefore, any investment made by this man is one that is definitely worth watching - particularly when it is a big bet in an emerging industry!

So, what other clues do we have from Daniel Loeb with regards to this investment? Well, all of their shares were obtained in a private placement that closed in conjunction with the initial public offering on June 19th. Notably, this placement included a $1.2 million investment from Loeb's personal funds. We also know that Loeb has sat on the company's board since May 2006, meaning this shouldn't be a fly-by-night investment. Combined, these factors make BIOF a stock worth keeping an eye on over the next few months!

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Infinera Corp (NYSE:INFN) shares soared more than 50% on their first day of trading as many early stage investors enjoyed a quick flashback to the dotcom days. The company's IPO raised more than $182 million for the company, giving it an initial valuation of $108 billion. However, whether or not the company deserves such a high valuation remains a subject of great debate.

Investors are watching the company carefully as it aims to disrupt an established market: optical networks. Specifically, the company said that it could produce chips containing optics technology to greatly simplify the translation of analog optical signals that travel over fiber optic networks into digital signals. This would eliminate the need for all-optical networks.

Infinera was founded in December of 2000 and began shipping its products in November of 2004. The company posted a loss of $66.5 million in 2004, $64.8 million in 2005 and $89.9 million in 2006. However, the company has experienced a surge in revenues which have climbed from $4.1 million in 2005 to nearly $53 million in 2006. Interestingly, the company also has an accumulated deficit of $333.9 million.

So, is the company worth the price? Well, by comparing the revenue and costs trends we can expect the company to become profitable around 2009 with a high growth rate. However, in the dynamic telecommunications network, it is difficult to say whether or not they will be able to sustain their revenue growth rates. Moreover, any competing technology could greatly impair the company's growth. Combined, the stock may not be the best investment at this point, but it is certainly a stock worth watching over the next few years!

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The Blackstone Group recently announced its intentions to go public in what is quickly becoming a private equity rush to the public markets. Blackstone, the largest private equity firm in the world, is planning to offer 10% of its shares to the public for $4 billion in a move that is sure to spark interest on Wall Street. Many investors like the idea of a Blackstone IPO since the company has proven to be a cash machine. Since 1987 the firm has averaged an impressive 23% annualized return with its real estate division returning closer to 29%! Meanwhile, Blackstone's assets have grown from $14 billion to $78 billion in less than six years - that is, they have multiplied their assets more than five times in six years. These are impressive numbers that have many investors eager to put money in the private equity giant.

Some investors are speculating that this move indicates that the market may be overvalued. After all, if the market wouldn't assign a high enough premium to their shares why would they IPO? What concerns investors is the ease in which private equity and hedge funds are able to raise cash. Investors who know the market is fully valued are apparently willing to give their money to these firms that in turn feed the M&A mania. Moreover, is there a problem with the credit markets? The recent subprime fiasco combined with the fact that the credit markets have grown five times as fast as the GDP for the entire 21st century so far is certainly cause for hesitation. And what happens when the debt markets grow less desirable and equity is required to get deals done? It's simple, returns will fall. This makes the idea of investing in Blackstone less desirable. However, at least in the short-term, we can be sure that there will be plenty of interest in the IPO. Whether this is a sign of something more remains to be seen. Combined, these factors make Blackstone a company worth watching!

Xinhua Finance Media Ltd. filed for an initial public offering on the NASDAQ market today under the symbol XFML. The financial news gathering service expects to raise about $300 million by issuing 23.1 million American depository receipts (ADRs) priced at between $12 and $14 each. Underwriters in the deal include J.P. Morgan, UBS Investment Bank, and CBIC World Markets among others. The company reported a 2006 net income of $3.3 million on revenues topping $59 million. After the IPO, Xinhua is expected to carry a market capitalization of about $1.8 billion, based on a $13 IPO price. The company said it will use $50 million of its IPO proceeds to repay debt, and the rest for acquisitions, working capital and other general corporate purposes.

What does the company do? Well according to their IPO prospectus (F-1 filing for foreign companies), the company engages in the creation and production of high-quality content that is distributed across nationwide television and print media outlets and radio in Beijing and Shanghai, and where advertising sales are supported by their own advertising agency. These outlets reach an estimated 210 million potential television viewers, a potential listening audience of 33 million people, and the readers of leading magazines and newspapers. In addition, the company's market research business enables our advertisers to analyze, understand and better reach their targeted consumers. Meanwhile, Xinhua's actual content currently focuses on business and financial news as well as wealth management and affluent lifestyle programming. They focus on this programming because we believe it attracts the highest income audience in China - an audience that is highly sought after by their target advertisers.

This is a great IPO to keep an eye on as past Chinese IPOs have done exceptionally well recently. The strong growth in these markets combined with increased exposure to foreign capital markets and investors have led to substantial gains for shareholders investing in Chinese companies.