How the promise of a $ 120 billion Uber I.P.O. evaporated



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The company is soon meeting other obstacles. Earlier this month, President Trump tweeted that he wanted to raise tariffs on $ 200 billion worth of Chinese goods, disrupting global stock markets. Last Wednesday, the day before Uber set its price on the stock market, Lyft announced a loss of $ 1.14 billion for the first quarter, renewing questions about corporate health.

Uber executives, board and bankers discussed the final price of the sale of the shares last Thursday. Several board members claimed a price in the top range of $ 44 to $ 50 per share, informed people said.

But Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and others agreed it should be lowered, they said. The list of potential investor orders, known in Wall Street jargon as the "book", showed that the most desirable investors – the large asset managers who were most likely to hold stocks even in difficult times – were interested only in the lower price.

The final price: $ 45 per share.

That evening, Mr. Khosrowshahi and his management team gathered in Manhattan at Daniel, a Michelin-starred restaurant located a few blocks east of Central Park, at a "prize dinner" Organized by Morgan Stanley. The atmosphere was optimistic, according to two people familiar with the evening.

But the next morning, that mood changed. Uber executives arrived on the New York Stock Exchange, where the company was listed on the stock market. Before the first transaction, the controllers who were on the floor of the stock market showed how Uber's stock could fall – from $ 45, $ 44, before finally opening to $ 42. The chatter has calmed down.

The rest of the day was a little better. Uber's share has never been close to the $ 45 offer price. As a so-called stabilization officer, charged with helping in the trading of Uber shares, Morgan Stanley has taken steps to support the shares, according to people familiar with the case. However, at the end of the day, as the S & P 500 index closed on the upside, Uber's shares remained down.

On Wednesday, Uber closed at $ 41.29, more than 8 percent below its bid price.

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