Short-term market events often don't impact the process companies undertake to prepare for an IPO, PwC says. "Companies that successfully execute an IPO in the coming months will have taken a long-term approach and undergone careful planning, thereby helping them to be ready to successfully navigate unforeseen market events," according to Leveque. "Potential issuers often underestimate the time and effort that goes into embarking on life as a public entity. No one can predict when the window will open or shut; however, companies that are well-prepared will have the flexibility needed to take advantage of market conditions and be able to access the IPO market when the timing is right."

PwC rates IPOs as among the higher-risk investment options for companies because of the limited track records that IPOs have. "The underlying business of a potential issuer becomes more important in a difficult funding environment," Leveque says. "Those issuers with businesses that are somewhat immune to economic downturns are more likely to be able to go to market than issuers that are heavily dependent on the consumer or general economic strength."

He adds, "We expect to see solid companies with good business fundamentals succeed despite market volatility through IPOs and other viable avenues for investment, including the private placement market, which provides another avenue to bring cash from the sidelines into the U.S. economy for jobs, research and development, investment in capital equipment, and the creation of more goods for sale and purchase by consumers or businesses."

PwC US IPO Watch is a quarterly and annual survey of IPOs listed on U.S. stock exchange. It includes both domestic and foreign companies.