Dutch Auction

Filed Under » ,
Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Dutch Auction'

1. A public offering auction structure in which the price of the offering is set after taking in all bids and determining the highest price at which the total offering can be sold. In this type of auction, investors place a bid for the amount they are willing to buy in terms of quantity and price.

2. A type of auction in which the price on an item is lowered until it gets a bid. The first bid made is the winning bid and results in a sale, assuming that the price is above the reserve price. This is in contrast to typical options, where the price rises as bidders compete. 
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Dutch Auction'

1. If a company is using a Dutch auction IPO, potential investors enter their bids for the number of shares they want to purchase as well as the price they are willing to pay. For example, an investor may place a bid for 100 shares at $100 while another investor offers $95 for 500 shares.

Once all the bids are submitted, the allotted placement is assigned to the bidders from the highest bids down, until all of the allotted shares are assigned. However, the price that each bidder pays is based on the lowest price of all the allotted bidders, or essentially the last successful bid. Therefore, even if you bid $100 for your 1,000 shares, if the last successful bid is $80, you will only have to pay $80 for your 1,000 shares.

The U.S. Treasury (and other countries) uses a Dutch auction to sell securities. The Dutch auction also provides an alternative bidding process to IPO pricing. When Google launched its public offering, it relied on a Dutch auction to earn a fair price.

2. For example, the auctioneer starts at $2,000 for an object. If there are no bidders, the price is lowered by $100. The object will be sold once a bidder accepts the last price announced by the auctioneer, say $1,500.

Related Definitions

  • Auction Market

    A market in which buyers enter competitive bids and sellers enter competitive offers at the same time. The price a stock is traded represents the highest price that a buyer is willing to ...
    Read More »
  • Auction Rate

    The interest rate that will be paid on a specific security as determined by the Dutch auction process. The auctions take place at periodic intervals, and the interest rate is fixed until ...
    Read More »
  • Auction Market Preferred Stock - AMPS

    A type of dutch auction that involves a process used to reset the interest payments, or dividends, that are paid on preferred stock or mutual fund shares. The auction usually takes place ...
    Read More »
    • Initial Public Offering - IPO

      The first sale of stock by a private company to the public. IPOs are often issued by smaller, younger companies seeking the capital to expand, but can also be done by large privately ...
      Read More »
    • Direct Public Offering - DPO

      When a company raises capital by marketing its shares directly to its own customers, employees, suppliers, distributors and friends in the community. DPOs are an alternative to ...
      Read More »
    • Public Offering Price - POP

      The price at which new issues of stock are offered to the public by an underwriter. Because the goal of an IPO is to raise money, underwriters must determine a public offering price that ...
      Read More »
    • Auction

      A system where potential buyers place competitive bids on assets and services. The asset or service in question will sell to the party that places the highest bid. In most cases, sellers ...
      Read More »
    • Auction Rate Security - ARS

      A debt security that is sold through a dutch auction. The auction rate security (ARS) is sold at an interest rate that will clear the market at the lowest yield possible. This ensures ...
      Read More »
    • Sealed-Bid Auction

      A type of auction process in which all bidders simultaneously submit sealed bids to the auctioneer, so that no bidder knows how much the other auction participants have bid. The highest ...
      Read More »
    • Smart Market

      A type of auction in which transactions are made to and from a pool of participants rather than bilaterally between one buyer and one seller. Smart markets are designed to reduce ...
      Read More »

Articles Of Interest

Partner Links