Finding IPO’s on Reuters Created by Lara Skelly, for UCT Libraries Last updated: July 2010

Before we begin...some preliminary points Reuters 3000 Xtra is a powerful database that provides financial data. At UCT Libraries, Reuters is available on a single stand-alone PC in the Commerce Library. The method of finding IPOs that is explained in this presentation is a little complicated. If anyone finds an easier method, please mail All comments and criticisms welcome too.

Definition of IPO IPO stands for Initial Public Offering. The US term for it is flotation. IPO is defined as “The process of launching a public company for the first time by inviting the public to subscribe in its shares (also known as ‘going public’)”. * * (Smullen, J. & Hand, N. (eds.) Flotation. In Oxford Dictionary of Finance and Banking. Oxford: Oxford University Press.)

Logging into Reuters: Open up Internet Explorer. This page will appear.

Logging into Reuters at UCT: In the User name box, type a lowercase ‘L’. The user name will appear. Select it.

Logging into Reuters at UCT: The password will autofill. Click on Login.

Logging into Reuters at UCT: This page will appear. Click on the 3000 Xtra 501 icon.

Logging into Reuters at UCT: Reuters will start loading. After a while this dialogue box will appear. Click on ‘Ok’. Reuters will then continue loading.

Reuters Home Page: This page will open. It is the Reuters Home Page.

Reuters Home Page: Click on File and select New.

This window will open.

Double click anywhere on the white space to access the menu. Select Quote.

Type in any RIC (Reuters Instrument Code). The one used below is the RIC for MTN: MTNJ.J.

Right click anywhere on the Quote screen to access the next menu. Select Related Company Data.

The Company Views for MTN will appear. Click on Equity near the top right corner.

The Equity Offerings page will open. Select Market Equity Offerings.

Next, select the country. South Africa is used as an example below.

The Market Equity Offerings for the selected country will appear. Change the date range if necessary.

Select Initial Public Offering from the Offer Type dropdown menu.

Once all the necessary refinements have been entered, click Update View. The screen will then show all the offerings in according to your selection. Click on the Detail link for more detail on a particular offering.

This is what the detail page looks like.

Note For South Africa, the IPO information dates back only as far as the beginning of 2002.

Saving on Reuters at UCT As Reuters works on its own software system, saving is more complicated than simply clicking File and Save as. To save IPO information, a screen shot should be taken by pressing the print screen key on the keyboard (usually reads PrtScn). This creates an image of whatever is currently appearing on the screen. This image can then be pasted into Paint or Word. From there, one can save as normal.

Need more help? Ask a librarian. or Lib- Picture by Carlos Porto (Flickr)