Though deferred admission is not entirely new, admissions officers say the number of colleges offering it has increased in recent years, and they expect that to continue as baby boomers' children, who created their own demographic bulge, move into adulthood.
Signpost doesn't talk total merchant customers at this time, but says that since January (when it shifted to the monthly subscription plan offering), it has added 3,500 merchants.
Lise Buyer, Internet analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston, adds that because Pets.com fared poorly in its stock offering, it has cooled investors to online pet sites, "throwing up a barrier" to Pets.com's rivals.
Based on its market opportunity of $5 billion in the next few years and its strong services offerings, "it has a lot of potential to be a much bigger company," he said.
The discount chain Dollar General withdrew part of a debt offering it had planned to help finance its $6.9 billion buyout by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.
At the time of the Hong Kong offering, it had 44m policies in force; now it has 70m, and because of China's expanding wealth and fraying public safety nets, excellent opportunities for growth.But some frailties are emerging.
Last month, when the state tried to restructure existing debt with an additional $523 million offering, it had to reduce the offering by two-thirds, said Tom Dresslar, the spokesman for Bill Lockyer, the California treasurer.
INS in May said it canceled a follow-up stock offering it had planned due to reduced interest by selling stockholders.
With this sublime offering, it has risen again.
