Nasdaq profit beats estimates; CEO touts IPO pipeline

Synopsis Nasdaq reported strong fourth-quarter profits, exceeding expectations due to market volatility. The company saw a significant rise in new listings, with a promising outlook for accelerated initial public offerings in 2026. Nasdaq's revenue from data and listing services increased, and its financial technology and index businesses also showed robust growth. The exchange operator is expanding its services beyond trading. Nasdaq beat estimates for fourth-quarter profit on Thursday, gaining from prolonged market volatility, and CEO Adena Friedman reinforced the ‌outlook for accelerated first-time ‌share sales in 2026. New listings made a long-awaited comeback last year, braving tariff concerns and a U.S. ‌government shutdown to raise their biggest haul since 2021, according to data from Dealogic. S&P 500 Top Gainers Seagate Technology Hldgs442.93(19.14%) Intel48.78(11.04%) Western Digital279.70(10.70%) Texas Instruments216.17(9.94%) S&P 500 Top Losers Amphenol145.96(-12.20%) Axon Enterprise549.86(-9.89%) Skyworks Solutions55.28(-7.94%) Textron86.79(-7.90%) Dealmakers and investors expect the momentum to carry into 2026 on the back of soaring equity markets and a resilient U.S. economy. "Looking ahead to 2026, we see signs of accelerating capital market activity, further supported by recent Fed cuts and a very healthy pipeline of late stage private companies," Friedman said on a ‌post-earnings call. Medical ‍supply giant Medline, diagnostic imaging services provider Lumexa Imaging and ‍molecular diagnostics firm BillionToOne were among the notable debuts on the Nasdaq ‌in the quarter. Live Events Nasdaq's total new listings rose to 215 in the fourth quarter from 162 a year earlier, resulting in an increase of about 10% increase in the company's data and listing services revenue. EXCEEDS $5 BILLION NET REVENUE Nasdaq reported adjusted profit of 96 cents per share, beating analysts' average expectations of 91 cents per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. "For the first time, ‍Nasdaq exceeded $5 billion in annual net revenue and $4 billion in annual Solutions revenue," Friedman said in a statement. Heightened volatility from U.S. policy and ‍macroeconomic fears boosted ⁠volumes in equity options ⁠and cash equities, lifting transaction and clearing fees for exchange operators. The company's market services revenue from trading grew 16% to $311 million in the reported quarter, helped by record industry volumes in U.S. cash equities and equity derivatives. Revenue from the company's financial technology unit increased 13.7%, while its index business revenue jumped 23.4%. Nasdaq has widened its footprint from trading business into financial technology and software, building predictable, recurring revenue streams that are less exposed to the market's swings. (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel) (What's moving Sensex and Nifty Track latest market news, stock tips, Budget 2025, Share Market on Budget 2025 and expert advice, on ETMarkets. Also, ETMarkets.com is now on Telegram. For fastest news alerts on financial markets, investment strategies and stocks alerts, subscribe to our Telegram feeds .) Subscribe to ET Prime and read the Economic Times ePaper Online.and Sensex Today. Top Trending Stocks: SBI Share Price, Axis Bank Share Price, HDFC Bank Share Price, Infosys Share Price, Wipro Share Price, NTPC Share Price ...moreless After Sebi tightens equity F&O trades, punters find new casino Can Sula keep pouring as FTA raises a toast for European wine? EU trade pact: Should Tata, Mahindra worry about ‘European invasion’? Budget is not a wish list: Constraints that shape taxes, borrowings, wallets Stock Radar: Shriram Finance stock sees profit taking after hitting record highs earlier in Jan 2026; time to buy the dip? APL Apollo Tubes stock breaks out from rounding bottom pattern; time to buy? 1 2 3