The current bear market weighs on investor holdings, but it's also suppressing the initial public offering (IPO) market. That's because investors seem to be more cautious about buying stocks, and with high interest rates, there's less money to spread around in potential investments.

The previous bull market reached a height in 2021 and was capped off by a year of record initial public offerings (IPOs) -- more than 1,000, topping the previous record year set in 2020. But in 2022, only 181 IPOs were initiated, and there have only been 146 so far this year. Among the IPOs that did launch this year, there were very few that investors got excited about, and that has been reflected in the IPO market generally. These days, new stocks often debut at inflated prices with very little post-IPO gains and a quicker drop in enthusiasm.

Digital payment processing company Stripe has filed paperwork showing its intent to make a public offering, but no IPO date has been set yet. A potential IPO for the company has been talked about for years, and there is hype for a Stripe IPO. With competitor (NASDAQ: PYPL) already struggling, what could a Stripe IPO mean for PayPal stock?

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Source Fool.com