The public markets saw a record number of IPOs and capital raised in 2021. Around 1,500 companies went public via traditional IPO, direct listing or via SPAC merger. Public listings in 2021 raised over $490 billion. Here is a look at the five best-performing IPOs of 2021. (The worst-performing IPOs will come in another article.) Results are based on IPO pricing and micro-cap companies have been omitted from the list. 1. Digital World Acquisition IPO: September 2021 IPO Price: $10 (DWACU Units) YTD Range: $9.84 to $175 Current Price: $52.96 YTD Performance: +430 percent (common shares) Investors who bought SPAC units of Digital World Acquisition in September now own one common share of DWAC and one half a warrant. Investors had no idea that the SPAC would turn into one of the best-performing stocks of the year and also one of the biggest storylines for the public markets. In November, DWAC announced it …