Daniele D’Alvia via The Conversation | Spacs have been around since the 1990s, but they exploded in popularity in 2020 and early 2021. This is partly because there has been more and more capital looking to make money, since bonds have been paying unattractively low interest rates, and far fewer companies are listing than in previous decades. Regulations have made traditional flotations slower and more expensive. Flotations are also traditionally underpriced on the day of listing to drum up investor interest. But a crucial advantage of Spac deals is that they are privately negotiated and avoid the risk of money being “left on the table”.