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To order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers, use the Order Reprints tool at the bottom of any article or visitWall Street bankers may be divided over their expectations for the U.S. IPO market this year, but they appear unified in their belief that the flow of deals will come in fits and starts. Any discussion of initial public offerings these days involves descriptions of what underwriters describe as windows—short periods of days or weeks in which new stocks will be ushered out to the market, followed by interludes during which no IPOs step forward. The pattern, set in the second half of 2011, is expected to continue at least in the first part of this year. "The number of companies poised to go public remains huge, and companies are positioning themselves to be ready to go when windows open," said Mark Hantho, global co-head of equity capital markets at Deutsche Bank AG. The dollar volume of IPOs in registration currently stands at $14.8 billion, down from $15 billion at the beginning of last year, and $17 billion at the start of 2010, according to Dealogic. There are 145 companies waiting to debut, compared to 122 at this time last year. That doesn't count Facebook Inc., of course, which is widely expected to register in the coming weeks for an IPO that could total $10 billion. But having a ready stash of IPOs waiting to price doesn't mean all of them will succeed; that depends on factors such as broader market movements and volatility. Higher volatility makes it more difficult to price a deal and draw investors in, while major indices' downturns can cool both issuers' and buyers' interest in IPOs. "Our pipeline would suggest that there should be an uptick ahead, but it can be dangerously difficult to predict when the pipeline can open up in this environment," said Robert Greifeld, chief executive of Nasdaq OMX. "Everything is a derivative of macroeconomic factors, so if we can extend strong or robust GDP growth in this country, we'd be solving a myriad of issues. More equity inflows would increase demand for IPOs, too." Elsewhere in the IPO market: The first two weeks of January are traditionally devoid of IPOs following year-end holidays. That's the case this year as well; there were no deals done this week, and none expected for the coming one. However, there is an offering slated for Jan. 19, from biodiesel fuel producerInc. The company plans to sell 7.2 million shares of stock at a price between $13 and $15, and has applied to list its shares on the Nasdaq under the symbol REGI. Write to Lynn Cowan atExcessive pay for bosses at struggling companies represents a market failure and shareholders will be given more powers to block bumper deals, said Prime Minister David Cameron.The quest for a vaccine against AIDS is gaining momentum, with research published Wednesday identifying promising new candidates that protected monkeys against a powerful strain of the virus and which soon could be tested in humans.Excessive pay for bosses at struggling companies represents a market failure and shareholders will be given more powers to block bumper deals, said Prime Minister David Cameron.Excessive pay for bosses at struggling companies represents a market failure and shareholders will be given more powers to block bumper deals, said Prime Minister David Cameron.Security forces killed at least 10 civilians, most of them in the central city of Homs on Sunday. Clashes between government troops and defectors left 11 soldiers dead, activists said.The chairman of Germany's largest opposition party says the Social Democratic party would cooperate with Angela Merkel in finding a consensus candidate for the German presidency as incumbent Christian Wulff faces mounting criticism.Mitt Romney faced withering fire from his rivals for the GOP presidential nomination Sunday, criticized for being what they said was an inauthentic conservative and as much a career politicians as any other candidate.Excessive pay for bosses at struggling companies represents a market failure and shareholders will be given more powers to block bumper deals, said Prime Minister David Cameron.The email address null is already associated with another account. Please enter a different email address:The email address null is already associated with another account. Please enter a different email address:Real-time U.S. stock quotes reflect trades reported through Nasdaq only; comprehensive U.S. stock quotes reflect trading in all markets and are delayed at least 15 minutes. All quote volume is comprehensive and reflects trading in all markets, delayed at least 15 minutes. International stock quotes are delayed as per exchange requirements.The email address null is already associated with another account. Please enter a different email address:The email address null is already associated with another account. Please enter a different email address:Why use your real name? The Journal Community encourages thoughtful dialogue and meaningful connections between real people. We require the use of your full name to authenticate your identity. The quality of conversations can deteriorate when real identities are not provided.profile to avoid this message in the future. (As a member you agree to use your real name when participating in the Journal Community)LINKS TO ACTUAL PAGE CONTAINING WEB SLICE FUNCTIONALITY.Please log in or register for free to use Save This.Euro-area consumer confidence fell to the lowest in more than two years and unemployment remained at a 13-year high, according to data released today.An index of executive and consumer sentiment in the 17- nation euro area fell to 93.3 in December from a revised 93.8 in November, the European Commission in Brussels said. That was in line with the median of 19 economists' estimates in a Bloomberg survey. The unemployment rate held at 10.3 percent in November, a separate report showed.European Central Bank Governing Council member Klaas Knot said Germany should support increasing the euro area's bailout fund to help end the debt crisis.Federal Reserve Bank of New York President William Dudley called on the U.S. government to try new programs to revive the housing market while saying the central bank may still consider ways to cut interest rates.EasyJet Plc rose 3.1 percent to 395.2 pence after reporting a 13 percent increase in passenger numbers in December, compared with the same month in the previous year.