Based on the implications of Rock (1986) and Beatty/Ritter (1986) this study focuses on the influence of vertical market segmentation. The analysis of 435 German IPOs from 1997-2002 shows that the empirical findings are not clear in harmony with what would be expected.

In this chapter, we describe the rise and fall of Germany’s Neuer Markt from its promising start to its ultimate failure. We show that the Neuer Markt was designed to serve the special needs of small and medium sized growth firms. However, some regulatory flaws, insufficient means to enforce...