Market's Weakness Saps IPO Pipeline

Scratch two more IPOs.

Verizon Wireless became the latest company to delay its IPO Monday, the same day MindLeaders.com pulled its initial offering. Both were victims of a series of earnings warnings and violence in the Middle East, which have pushed down the major stock indexes and taken the pipeline for initial public offerings with them.

As a result, announcements saying an IPO is "being withdrawn due to market conditions" has become an increasingly common refrain. As many as 20 companies have withdrawn their IPOs, while at least six have been postponed in the last three weeks. Should the dismal performance of the Nasdaq, the Dow and S&P 500 continue, the IPO market may well falter in the near term. ...