Record retail forex volumes have caught the eye of stock market investors – and they are snapping up FX broker shares.

LeapRate Exclusive….. Our recent reporting on the record retail forex trading volumes being achieved by FX brokers around the world has indeed been noticed by the Wall Street and London City crowds. Over the first six months of 2013, shares of publicly traded Retail Forex brokers are up in the 30%-60% range, well beyond the 15%-16% rise in the major stock indices.

As the graph above shows, so far in 2013:

• FXCM (NYSE: FXCM) shares are up 56%, and now sit 11% above their $14-per-share 2010 IPO price,
• Gain Capital (NYSE: GCAP) shares are up 50%, and recently crossed the $6 mark for the first time since early 2012, although they still are well below their $9 IPO price,
• IG Group (LON: IGG) shares are up 27%, sitting at an all-time high,
• Monex Group (TYO: 8698) shares are up 85%.

While that’s all nice for the shareholders of retail forex brokers, and the management of those companies, the key question it brings to mind for us is “when will the next forex IPO happen”? We are aware of a number of both large and medium-size FX brokers, mainly based in Europe, which have had their eye on an IPO for quite some time — including some of them engaging bankers, to help prepare for when market conditions to cooperate.

One can never perfectly predict the stock market, but if the overall stock market continues to hold up (again, major US indices are up about 15% this year), and the IPO market generally continues to be hot, we expect to see at least one if not more retail forex broker IPOs in the second half of the year. (Due to confidentiality concerns, we cannot divulge any specific names).

For more on the global Forex industry see the LeapRate-Dow Jones Forex Industry Report.