Internet IPO Market Stirs Slightly In July

The Internet IPO market showed signs of life in July, but both the number of 'Net ticker debuts and the average first-day performance are well below the heady days of last fall and winter.

Still, July's average first-day return of 63% is the best monthly figure for Internet IPOs since March, and marks the third straight month that opening-day averages have risen.

There even were moonshots last month, as two companies, 'Net software vendors Blue Martini Software and WebEx , more than doubled in price, while router seller Avici Systems more than tripled.

However, not even Avici's 212% first-day gain could crack the list of 10 best 'Net debuts this year, proving again that Internet moonshots aren't what they used to be. Indeed, since March, only one 'Net IPO, Storage Networks on June 30, has made the top 10 list for the year.