Second-half IPO revival for Toronto hinges on commodities

Reuters reports Canada’s IPO market could roar back to life in the final months of 2011 after a dismal first half – but only if a fresh bout of global market turbulence doesn’t overwhelm any revival.

Investment bankers say commodity producers could get the market sailing again once the summer doldrums are over. In contrast to new listings mergers and acquisitions in the mining sector have stayed robust in 2011 and Canadian companies – both as acquirers and as the targets of buyers – dominated corporate finance activity in the first half shaking on 325 deals and accounting for almost two-thirds of all the metals and minerals transactions carried out around the world.

Reuters quotes a capital markets expert from one of Canada’s top banks: “People are looking at the next three weeks and recognizing that the dog days of summer are upon us, and it’s not necessarily indicative of the kind of robust market environment that could well exist as we get further past that August period.”

MINING.com reported in July on M&A activity in the mining sector which more than doubled to $96.3 billion in the first six months of the year and could top $200 billion for the whole of 2011 according to a research report.