Global equity markets could face near term pressure from the planned initial public offerings (IPOs) of OpenAI, Anthropic and SpaceX, a senior Standard Chartered investment executive has warned.
Steve Brice, the bank’s global chief investment officer for wealth solutions, told CNBC’s Access Middle East programme that the market may struggle to absorb the scale of the listings, raising the risk of short term volatility.
“There’s going to be some digestion challenges of these IPOs coming through the market,” Brice said.
He noted that market participation had broadened beyond a few dominant technology stocks, but cautioned that the shift was unlikely to unfold smoothly. Such offerings could draw heavy investor demand and absorb large amounts of liquidity.
The three companies rank among the most anticipated debuts of 2026. SpaceX has filed to list, OpenAI is reportedly preparing a confidential filing, and Anthropic has also filed, with its private valuation reported at about 965 billion dollars in May.
Brice said he was not strongly bullish on markets and expected possible equity weakness over the summer, which he linked partly to developments in the Middle East. He added that any pullback could open attractive longer term buying opportunities.
He pointed to upcoming United States labour market data as a support for investor sentiment, while warning that optimism could fade if energy market disruptions persist.
CNBC reported that oil prices have climbed sharply as the Trump administration blockades Iranian ports and Tehran keeps the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed. Brice warned that a prolonged closure beyond the summer could weigh heavily on global economic activity.
He said inventories of crude oil, petrochemicals and inputs such as urea were being drawn down rapidly, raising the risk of supply shortages and higher costs for manufacturers worldwide.
