Oura postponed its Nasdaq initial public offering (IPO), a listing that would have valued it near $15 billion. The Oura IPO delay came despite what the company called strong demand.
The smart ring maker blamed uncertainty in the IPO market. Treasury yields at 19-year highs and a September Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike have weighed on growth stocks.
Why the Oura IPO Delay Reflects Rate Pressure
The 10-year Treasury yield, a benchmark for global borrowing costs, topped 5.2% last week and continued to rise to almost 5.3%. That was its highest level since 2007, and oil prices and the Fed’s first hike since 2023 added pressure.
Higher yields typically reduce what investors will pay for future earnings, which hurts growth names most.
“The recent spike in yields and resumed rate hikes have put some downward pressure on growth companies, and that’s a majority of the companies in the IPO market.”
Avery Marquez, director of investment strategies at Renaissance Capital,
Demand was not the obstacle. Oura’s oversubscribed IPO drew roughly four times more orders than shares ahead of Tuesday’s planned pricing.
Still, valuation looks like the sharper concern. Jay Ritter, director of the IPO Initiative at the University of Florida, points to GoPro and Peloton. Both are single-product companies that struggled once growth stalled.
Oura generated $1.2 billion in revenue over the nine months to June 30, up from $697 million a year earlier. However, Ritter says its valuation assumes that high growth will continue.
SpaceX and Anthropic Add to the Chill
SpaceX listed in June at a $1.77 trillion valuation, but SpaceX stock fell despite a successful Starship flight.
Meanwhile, Holtec International, a nuclear technology firm, and Bamboo Insurance also postponed their offerings.
Reuters reported that Anthropic’s debut will likely slip past November’s midterm elections. Anthropic’s IPO filing showed a $42 billion 2025 net loss, mostly from an accounting charge.
In contrast, tech analyst Dan Ives of Yorkville says the delays will not derail the artificial intelligence (AI) trade. He sees the current cycle as closer to 1997 than to the 2000 bubble.
CEO Tom Hale says Oura can choose its timing. That timing may therefore hinge on the Fed’s October meeting. Futures implied roughly 64% odds of another hike last week, according to CNBC.
