Analysis-U.S. IPO slowdown slams door on tech unicorns looking to cash out

FILE PHOTO: A Wall Street sign is pictured outside the New York Stock Exchange amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The party is over for technology start-ups rushing to go public at ever-higher valuations, as volatile U.S. stock markets have dampened investor appetite for high-growth stocks.

A 6% drop in the S&P 500 index and a 75% rise in Wall Street's fear gauge, as the Cboe Volatility Index is known, since the beginning of the year have led many companies to push the pause button on listing plans.