RJ and Makay

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A study by the Kauffman Foundation shows that the number of IPOs can directly affect economic growth, according to the study “fast growing entrepreneurial firms create the nation’s most significant employment.” The recent slowdown of IPOs from small companies has “negatively affected aggregate employment.” From 1996 to 2010, 2,766 companies went public in the United States.

LinkedIn Corp.’s (LNKD) sharp rise on its first day of trading today shows that U.S. investors may be hungry for similar stories coming out of the social media industry.

Shares of the professional-networking site opened at $83 dollars on the New York Stock Exchange, an 84% increase from its initial public offering price of $45.  By mid-day it was trading at $112 a share, up 150%, valuing the company at $10 billion.  The stock reached a high of $122.70 before declining in afternoon trading, closing at $94.25.  For the day, shares were up $49.25, or 109.4%.

BATS Global Markets has filed for a $100 million initial public offering as it seeks cash during the busiest time of industry takeovers.

The electronic platform, which started trading shares with two Nasdaq customers about five years ago, has grown into the third largest exchange in the U.S. with a 10.8 market share of domestic equity trading.  The company was started by Tradebot founder Dave Cummings. Joe Ratterman, formerly under Cummings at Tradebot, became CEO in 2007.