SPACs have raised a record $100 billion in 2021, but activity levels have plummeted by more than 80% in recent months

• Data from Refinitiv shows that global SPAC IPOs have raised a record $100 billion in 2021 so far.
• Despite the record amount of proceeds, the volume of SPAC listings has plummeted.
• The Refinitiv data is another sign the blank-check frenzy driven by the Fed's easy-money policies is drying up.

The amount of money raised by SPACs around the world has reached a record high, but the blank-check frenzy is showing signs of slowing.

As of May 19, global IPO SPAC proceeds have reached a record high of $100 billion, 23% more than the level recorded throughout all of 2020, new data from Refinitiv shows.

But despite reaching this milestone, the number of special purpose acquisition companies going public has plummeted in recent months. In March, a total of 116 special purpose acquisition companies listed. In April, the number of listings dropped to just 18.

SPAC activity ballooned in 2020 and the beginning of 2021 as the Federal Reserve's easy-money policies pumped liquidity into the market. Investors were hungry to deploy their cash, and SPACs were just one of their targets.

Now, concerns of overheating inflation out of the pandemic has investors worried the Fed may taper its asset purchases sooner than expected and dry up the market. Minutes from the Fed's April meeting published Wednesday showed that some officials signaled they would be open "at some point" to begin discussing a plan for adjusting the pace of asset purchases.

Another key driver in the SPAC slowdown is heightened regulatory scrutiny, according to Goldman Sach's David Kostin. In an April note the chief US equity strategist highlighted that the SEC has recently released two statements expressing concerns over the reporting, accounting, and governance of special-purpose-acquisition companies.

And although proceeds have reached a record high, the performance of blank-check companies and companies that have recently gone public via them is declining.

The Defiance Next Gen SPAC Derived ETF (SPAK), which consists of more than 200 US-listed SPACs and de-SPACs, has underperformed the S&P 500 year-to-date. The SPAC ETF is down 16.33% in 2021, while the benchmark index has gained 9.8%.