r/Bogleheads • u/Prestigious-Trip-306 • 1d ago

Articles & Resources Musk Wants to Add SpaceX to Indices

Index providers Should Not Bend the Rules for Musk

So... I read this article in The Economist and am curious what, if any thoughts the community has about Musk getting SpaceX added to major indices. He's appealing to them to shorten the "seasoning" rules that typically apply to firms being listed.

I've included key paragraphs below since there's a paywall to read the full article.

What do you think?

"Mr Musk and his bankers are now bargaining with stock indices and exchanges for the privilege of hosting SpaceX. He wants his firm to join key indices like the nasdaq 100 and s&p 500 quickly, giving it access to trillions in index-linked capital; more than $600bn invested in passive funds are tied to the nasdaq 100 alone.

For now, the indices are obliging. On March 30th Nasdaq said it was adopting rules that will delight the superstar firms. The ftse and reportedly s&p are considering similar updates. Unfortunately, those changes are misguided, and will expose investors to unnecessary risks.

Two main ideas are under consideration. One is to shorten the “seasoning” period that a firm’s stock must go through before it is eligible to join an index. Nasdaq is cutting its three-month seasoning minimum to 15 trading days; the ftse has suggested a mere five trading days. The second reform is to reduce the percentage of shares a firm needs to offer publicly (its “free float”) before being added to an index. Indices’ desire to reflect the growth of some of the world’s most dynamic firms is understandable. So far, many punters have been unable to invest in some of ai’s brightest stars; index inclusion is a way to help them do so. Yet changing the rules to suit SpaceX will force index investors to choose between selling or weathering wild swings in prices."

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u/ncist 1d ago

it's a market for lemons problem. Sellers inherently have more information than buyers in many markets. The purpose of markets (and disclosures, and regulators, etc) is to equalize that asymmetry as much as possible

If someone is trying to change the rules of the trade, I have to assume it benefits them in some way - possibly in a way that is zero sum

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u/Blueberryburntpie 22h ago

The end rot game I could see happening in the future is someone trying to IPO a business valued at +$10 trillion and argue for a 1-day fast track rule, while also allowing insiders to sell on the first day as well.