Airbnb hosts make windfall gains as shares allotted to them double on first trading day

Airbnb hosts make windfall gains as shares allotted to them double on first trading day

Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Airbnb Inc hosts who were allowed to invest in the home-sharing firm’s $3.5 billion initial public offering (IPO) more than doubled their money in a few hours on Thursday, a windfall that otherwise would only have been reaped by Wall Street’s elite.