Firefly Aerospace stock surged at IPO but dropped 11% amid volatility; strong backlog and NASA contracts support growth.

After several big IPOs including Figma last week, the IPO market stayed hot with Firefly Aerospace, which is now approaching a $10 billion valuation out of the gate. I would categorize space as one of the hot sectors, along with artificial intelligence, crypto, and quantum computing, that investors can't seem to get enough of.

Firefly Aerospace's ( FLY) stock is sputtering, just one day after its trading debut, when enthusiasm for the new listing sent shares soaring. The space company's stock was down 13% to about $52 Friday afternoon, wiping out more than half its gains in its first day of trading yesterday.