IPO Watch: 2011

(Story updated with more IPO news)
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- U.S. IPOs could find themselves back in the limelight this year after spending the bulk of 2010 being overshadowed by Asian public offerings.

In 2010, about two-thirds of global capital raised from IPOs came from the Asia-Pacific region, according to Greenwich, Conn.-based IPO investment firm Renaissance Capital. China, Hong Kong, India and Japan were particularly strong in this regard. In contrast, North America lost share in the global IPO market, falling below 20% -- weighed down by the emerging market players and a resurgence in European IPOs, Renaissance Capital noted.

"Excluding GM, North America's market share would have been a paltry 10%," Renaissance Capital noted in a report.

Overall, global IPO proceeds in 2010 rose to within 12% of 2007 peak levels, or $235 billion, according to Renaissance Capital.

This year, U.S. IPOs could really heat up, while Chinese offerings could fall. "Chinese issuance may moderate due to government policies designed to temper inflations," said the Renaissance report. "However, we expect that in 2011, U.S. IPOs will step up in activity," given increasing clarity on tax rates, the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing efforts to encourage more investments in the equity market and the possibility of a more pro-business federal government.

U.S. small cap tech, consumer and health care IPOs could accelerate, according to Renaissance. Year-to-date, the global IPO market has raised $6.2 billion in proceeds, an improvement of 18.2% from last year, according to Renaissance. "We think global issuance should exceed the levels of 2010," Renaissance Capital principal Kathy Smith told TheStreet.

Smith said global IPO issuances in 2010, excluding restricted China A shares, was $175 billion. By comparison, 2011 issuances could reach $200 billion, she said.

On Jan. 27, online social network site LinkedIn announced its intention to go public. Around the same time, online discount coupon site Groupon and blogging site Twitter received significant cash infusions, as did social networking site Facebook from Goldman Sachs.

"All this buzz is raising one big question for investors -- not should or will other firms follow suit [on going public], but how soon," Richard Peterson, a director with Standard & Poor's, said in a recent report.

Here, then, is TheStreet's gallery of 2011's upcoming IPOs and their outcomes...

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