[Bank of America: Number of U.S. Publicly Listed Companies Halved Since the Start of the Century, Private Companies Attracting Investor Attention] According to a report by Golden Finance, although publicly listed companies can effectively allocate capital in the economy through audited financial data and operational information, private companies are increasingly drawing the attention of investors. Bank of America analysts stated in a research report that since 2000, the number of publicly listed companies in the U.S. has halved to just over 4,000, while the number of private equity and venture capital-backed companies has grown 25-fold. 'Companies are also shifting toward or maintaining private status. Today, startups remain private for an average of 16 years after their founding, which is 33% longer than a decade ago before going public.'