Twitter CEO Dick Costolo 2012 2
Twitter's CEO Dick Costolo is seen during a conference at the Cannes Lions in Cannes. Reuters

Rumor has it that the Twitter IPO is ready and the San Francisco-based company may submit files this week, but the threat of a shutdown of the U.S. government may delay its release.

Twitter tweeted that it had confidentially submitted forms for an IPO to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Sept. 12, though it actually submitted the forms back in July. Given the time it has had to iron out the details, many believe that this IPO will happen quicker than most others.

However, investors are weary about markets thanks to negotiations in Congress that could result in a shutdown of the federal government. The SEC and the Commodity Future Trading Commission would likely close their doors in the event of a shutdown, making the Twitter IPO impossible.

Twitter is reportedly offering stock to employees for $17 per share, and interested parties are paying as much as $30 per share. Rumors from The Street are that the IPO will be in the $28-$30-per-share range, meaning that the IPO could be worth around $15 billion.

Most believe that Twitter will debut on the New York Stock Exchange rather than Nasdaq and that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE: GS) is the lead banker.

For Twitter to go public, it will have to reveal its revenue, costs and profit for at least its best two years. It will also disclose how much of its business is dedicated to advertising and how much goes to selling its data to marketing and analytics firms. Twitter will also state any risk factors involved with investing and the names of investors who own at least 5 percent of the company.

Twitter has 21 days after it makes its private filings public to being trading the stock. If it does so this week, the stock could begin trading in late October or early November.

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