I know we are in the midst of a profound downturn on the Street. Still the big stock price drops that the Blackstone Group [1] (about 30 percent) and Fortress Investment [2] (about 50 percent) are notable. You have to wonder what this means for eying IPOs. I would guess that many of those on the fence have opted to stay there. KKR on the other hand seems to be barreling ahead. Smart? Here's a thought: Why not go forward even though the issuer won't be able to raise as much from initial offering? It would essentially be a move to let investors buy in cheap. They will appreciate that. At the right price, there will be many willing to bet on the future of the firm. This is akin to letting Hank Greenberg in at a really good time. The firm would be less likely to suffer the after-market blues, which have dogged Blackstone. If the stock surges, there's always follow-on offering opportunities.  

For more:
- here's a New York Times article [3]

Related articles:
- Private equity tax battle heats up [4]
- What to make of Blackstone's private earnings? [5]