Stock Offerings Roared in January

The bull market for new issues keeps charging.

According to Dealogic, the dollar value of U.S. equity offerings -- IPOs and follow-ons -- rose by more than 80% in January vs. the same month last year. The total number of deals was also up sharply, from 31 transactions in January 2005 to 51 last month.

Historically, January is a slow month in the equity offering business, after bankers rush to complete deals at the end of the previous year. Activity generally picks up about six weeks after the new year begins, according to David Menlow, president of the IPO Financial Network, a firm that researches new stock offerings. ...