Much of the new equity declined by existing shareholders in UK SEOs is bought in a few large blocks, both by other existing holders and by new investors. The paper argues that a placing process via negotiation with investors facilitates the purchase of large blocks better than the alternative...

The paper reviews evidence from the USA and UK on seasoned equity offers (SEOs) and rights issues. There are two main avenues of research: first, the market reaction to announcements of SEOs, and the related questions of the price elasticity of demand for new shares and the timing of issues;...