Facebook IPO Next?

THE DADDY OF ALL IPOS: CNBC is reporting that Facebook is expected to issue a public offering in the first quarter of 2012, with a valuation that could top $100 billion. The IPO is expected to be timed when Facebook attracts more than 500 investors, an SEC requirement for the offering. Current employees are also pushing for the IPO because internal restrictions prevent them from selling their private shares on the secondary market. Sharepost, a private exchange that buys shares of non-public companies, recently sold 100,000 shares of Facebook for $3.4 million, which put the company's valuation at $85 billion. Goldman Sachs bought a $1.5 billion piece of the company on behalf of clients last month, valuing the company at $65 billion, meaning Facebook’s value had increased by 30% in the six weeks between the two deals. (6/13p)