RED HERRING | IPO Watch: Winter Break

"Now would be a good time for IPO players to skip out of town for a winter vacation. The only deal on the calendar this week is a “blank check” offering and the following week doesn’t show much more. There’s another “blank check” deal and two small biopharmaceuticals.

But don’t be so fast as to write off the new-issues market. It’s only a seasonal lull, and the future started building in mid-February.

This year’s IPO market is following the same path that it has in over the recent past. Consider this:

In 2006, bankers had priced 37 IPOs by February 15, according to available reports. Three more IPOs were priced by the end of February. In 2006, bankers priced a total of 240 IPOs for the entire year.

In 2005, bankers had priced 38 IPOs by February 17. One more IPO was priced by the end of February. In 2005, bankers priced a total of 236 IPOs."