[HamiltonJay]

Go check how many of those from 1999 and 1996 still exist.

IPO doesn’t mean jack, all it means is the dog and pony show by the execs was good enough to con enough institutioinal investors into buying so they could go out the door, that’s all.

Using numbers from 94-2000 is going to get you a joke of a statistical bubble, most of those companies no longer exist in any form.

Don’t believe me? I’ve got some Webvan stock to sell ya.

[econjack]

I'm not so sure you're conclusion is right. I checked the IPO data from 1900 to 2006 and there is no denying that current IPO activity is far below the average. True, the late 90's do produce a blip, but the departure from the secular average is undeniable. See:

http://bear.cba.ufl.edu/ritter/FoundingDates.htm

[Jacquerie]

IPO doesn’t mean jack

Of course not. New public companies mean nothing. They don't mean new jobs or potential new wealth at all.