The price of Facebook stock has jumped as much as 42% in
the past four months. Membership istopping 300 million users to take Facebook into
profitfor the first time.
Facebook shares are selling on private exchanges such as
SecondMarket for about
$21, up from $14.77 in July. This puts the value of common shares
at $9.5bn, according to
Bloomberg.
SecondMarket is among services that allow Facebook employees to
sell shares, but the company is expected to sell stock through an
initial public offering (IPO) in the next 12 to 18 months.
A Facebook IPO may attract the same high level of attention as
Google's share sale in 2004, according to analysts.
A $200 million investment in Facebook by
Russia's Digital Sky Technologies in May, which valued Facebook at
$10bn, is also boosting expectations of an IPO.
Image: Rex Features