Airbnb shares start the year down as pandemic rages on

In December, Airbnb’s blockbuster IPO launched, with share prices opening at $144.71 (€117.87), 115 per cent higher than the most recent price target, and 192 per cent higher than the initial pricing range.

Subsequently, share prices reached a high of $163.19 (€132.92), before beginning to decline in the wake of alarm surrounding the new, more infectious strain of COVID-19 that ostensibly originated in the UK.

Since then, Airbnb, which in 2019 was reported to host over 8,760 properties in Malta and Gozo, has seen share prices consistently decline, falling 10.04 per cent from 22nd to 31st December, and a further 5.21 per cent on Monday, to $139.15 (€113.34).