*By Carlo Versano* When the market is on a roller coaster, as it has been in the last quarter of 2018, the uncertainty can be enough to spook companies planning to go public. This year, Tencent Music ($TME) delayed its IPO a few weeks due to volatility, and conversely, Lyft is reportedly racing to complete its offering before things get any worse. "This is kind of the new normal right now," John Tuttle, the COO of the New York Stock Exchange, told Cheddar Thursday. But quality companies with sound financials and strong businesses can successfully go public even in a sideways or down market, Tuttle said. He referred to the IPO pipeline for the coming year at the NYSE as "pretty strong," despite the recent triple-digit swings that will leave the market [flat for the year](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/12/10/business/dealbook/stock-market-correction-long-term.html). "This is the deepest pool of liquidity anywhere in the world," he said, and the NYSE's broad investor base and pedigree of public companies are still the most attractive on Wall Street. As for overseas action, Tuttle predicts strength from China and Brazil sending companies to price on the NYSE in 2019. Chinese stocks like NIO ($NIO) and Qutoutiao ($QTT) had some of the hottest debuts this year before falling back to earth. There's an inverse correlation between IPO activity and market volatility, Tuttle noted. When markets are unsettled, there tends to be an increase in volume traded, but a decrease in IPOs. A handful of major tech IPOs expected next year ー including Uber, Lyft, and Pinterest ー will test that theory. The broader market outlook may be a "mixed bag," Tuttle said, especially after a nearly 10-year bull run. But long-term, the 226-year-old stock exchange has proved it can weather significant ups and downs. "The chart starts in the bottom left and ends in the upper right," as Tuttle said. "But it's not a straight line." For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/new-york-stock-exchange-year-in-review).

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