CSG’s IPO Shows How Bankers Adapt to World Events Wrecking Deals

Geopolitics has been playing havoc with initial public offerings in recent years, but bankers believe they may have now found a way to manage the chaos.

Take Czech ammunition maker CSG NV’s IPO this month. It was executed at lightning speed: advertised to potential buyers ahead of time, then marketed at a discounted, fixed price and shored up by cornerstone investors. The extra precautions were taken with a backdrop of US President Donald Trump’s threats against Greenland and Europe, with plans accelerated when the geopolitics started to impact markets, bankers said.

The deal illustrates how the playbook for IPOs ...