The SEC Puts the Brakes On EV SPAC-Mania
Bloomberg Businessweek|December 13, 2021
Young electric car companies have drawn big valuations from investors. Now they’re drawing regulator scrutiny, too
- David Welch
The SEC Puts the Brakes On EV SPAC-Mania

Here’s a sure sign that a SPAC-lash is afoot. Electric vehicle startup Lucid Group Inc., whose market value once soared past that of General Motors Co. this year, said on Dec. 6 that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission was probing its barely five-month-old blank-check merger and business projections given to investors. The admission sent the stock reeling.

It was a surprise disclosure from a company that’s seen as having real potential in the electric vehicle race. Lucid Chief Executive Officer Peter Rawlinson came from Tesla Inc., and in September the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency certified that the company’s Air sedan can travel a worldbest 520 miles on a single charge. And Lucid had gone public with far more credibility than fellow SPAC newbies Nikola Corp. and Lordstown Motors Corp., both of which ousted their CEOs in the past two years after SEC investigations.

Only early this year, SPAC deals—in which companies go public via a merger with a company formed specifically to make acquisitions—were among Wall Street’s favorite investments. Now there is scrutiny from all sides. The SEC is taking a harder look at the transactions, particularly at financial disclosures and statements about their prospects as public companies. Meanwhile, investors are playing it safer and opting out of more of the mergers. And stocks in many of the post-merger deals have fallen, another indication that market enthusiasm is waning. “The notion that a SPAC is price certainty is a fantasy,” says New York University School of Law professor Michael Ohlrogge. “People are realizing that the deals they thought were great are not.”

この蚘事は Bloomberg Businessweek の December 13, 2021 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

この蚘事は Bloomberg Businessweek の December 13, 2021 版に掲茉されおいたす。

7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トラむアルを開始しお、䜕千もの厳遞されたプレミアム ストヌリヌ、9,000 以䞊の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしおください。

BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEKのその他の蚘事すべお衚瀺
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App

The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts

time-read
4 分  |
March 13, 2023
Running in Circles
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Running in Circles

A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste

time-read
3 分  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Bloomberg Businessweek US

What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort

Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.

time-read
10 分  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
Bloomberg Businessweek US

How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto

The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking

time-read
3 分  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
The Last-Mover Problem
Bloomberg Businessweek US

The Last-Mover Problem

A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps

time-read
10+ 分  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Tick Tock, TikTok
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Tick Tock, TikTok

The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban

time-read
10+ 分  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria

A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals

time-read
3 分  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Pumping Heat in Hamburg

The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter

time-read
3 分  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge

Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment

time-read
4 分  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
New Money, New Problems
Bloomberg Businessweek US

New Money, New Problems

In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers

time-read
4 分  |
March 20 - 27, 2023