Softbank’s arm files for what is likely to be the biggest IPO of the year

Softbank’s (SFTBY) arm filed with Nasdaq for what may be the biggest IPO of the year. Dan Howley, senior reporter at Yahoo Finance, explains how the company is going public after Nvidia (NVDA) tried unsuccessfully to take over the company, which was blocked by global regulators. Arm is a chip designer who benefits from licensing chips to other companies such as Apple (AAPL), Samsung (SMSN.IL) and Qualcomm (QCOM). Noting that the timing is unusual given the state of the smartphone market, Howley says, “This IPO comes at an almost odd time as we’re seeing a slowdown in smartphone sales around the world.”