Momentum is building for new listings and initial public offerings in the second half of 2009, Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. said Tuesday.

So far this year, Nasdaq OMX has hosted 15 IPOs that have raised US$4.2 billion. It reports that it also currently has 171 listing applications in the pipeline from various sectors including biotech, technology and social media.

This week, insurance industry risk specialist Verisk Analytics Inc. plans to list on Nasdaq, which the exchange says will be the largest U.S. initial public offering in the last 12 months.

“While we haven’t seen a return to the levels we saw in 2006 and 2007, we are encouraged by the recent IPOs and the pickup in IPO and listing applications we’ve seen in the last several months,” says Bruce Aust, executive vice president, Nasdaq OMX.

IE