The Richest Woman in the World: How Gina Rinehart Earns her Billions
America's 10 Highest-Paid CEOs of 2011 (and How They Earned It)The NASDAQ received SEC approval to increase its listing fees and add services. The company will begin providing new-release distribution and internet broadcasts at no extra charge. Listing fees will rise with the largest increase from $75K to $95K per year for companies with more than 150 million shares outstanding. Companies with 50 to 75 million shares will only see a 1.2% increase.
While the rise in fees is modest and barely news, it is a sign of changes in the public markets. With listing fees running into the high 5 figures (and more for some companies), the high costs of shareholder communications, and the additional expense of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, being a public company is extremely expensive. I think it's one of the reasons that private equity will continue to boom: Taking a company private slashes a ton of costs just by removing the glare that comes with being public. Managers may also be getting fed up. According to a piece from Reuters:
Goldman Earnings Sink After Buffett Dividend
Johnson & Johnson's Income Falls 23%
Burberry Shares Leap on Sales Update
