Synonyms for the term "new securities issue" include primary offering, initial public offering (IPO), stock flotation, stock launch, or share release. A primary offering refers to the first time a company offers its securities to the public for sale. An IPO is a specific type of primary offering where a private company becomes available for public trading. A stock flotation is similar to an IPO, where shares of a private company are released to the public exchanges. A stock launch refers to the introduction of a new company's securities on the stock exchange. Lastly, a share release describes the process of making new securities available to the public for purchase.