Dog And Pony Show

In ye olden days (okay, not that old, but still), dog and pony shows literally had dogs and ponies, probably doing tricks and having petting zoo moments. The name stuck, but the dogs and ponies changed to financial securities, up for sale no doubt.

Dog and pony shows can have a wider meaning, referring in general to road shows that showcase products and have presentations...like a big "hey, you need to buy this!" conference. In the financial sector, a dog and pony show refers mostly to companies ripe with an IPO, a.k.a. an initial public offering.

If you don’t know what an IPO is, it’s okay, we’ve all been there at one point or another. The TL;DR of an IPO is that it’s when a private company is offering shares (investment opportunity instruments) to the public for the first time. This gives the company more money they need to grow (and some flashy PR with executives strutting their stuff), and gives investors a chance to get in early on an up-and-coming company. A dog and pony show can make or break a company’s success in getting investors on board long after it’s over.

Road shows (in the finance sector) are also a great way for financial people to mingle, mingle, mingle. Think: brokers, investors, analysts, and even fund managers.