Firms like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch went from obscurity to star status. Originally built as partnerships, the huge scaling up of trading activity and the derivatives business meant that they needed to issue shares and go public. Merrill Lynch had done so already in 1971. Bear Stearns followed in 1985, Morgan Stanley in 1986. Goldman Sachs was the last to launch its IPO in May 1999.32
