With the government officially (but temporarily) reopen again IPO's are free to enter the markets. Last week there were talks of how new listings would take measures to go around the traditional process of launching but none of that is required now that the SEC is reopen for business. Given that this is a temporary re-opening of the government it is possible that we see an influx of names that try to file just in case the political drama isn't quite over.

This week there are only two names so far that we expect to price but there are a slew of biotech names that will likely flood the SEC with their before mid February, and even more that could technically price later in the week.

Both offerings this week are referred to as blank check companies. This is an industry term to define a company that has no business model or actual products or services offered. These companies this week were formed to raise money to then acquire other businesses. Potential investors are taking a chance on the management team and their experience in their respective industries.

The first is Pivotal Acquisition (PVT  ) which is focused on acquiring a company in the sports category or logistics and e-commerce. They seem to like the "last mile" type of logistics companies as stated in their filings. They are expected to offer 20 million shares at a price of $10 in hopes of raising $200 million for their efforts.

The second is Andina Acquisition III (ANDAU  ) which is another blank check company, but only half the size. The company will offer 10 million shares at $10 in hopes of raising $100 million for acquiring businesses in the Latin America's. Investors can research the success of their Andina I and Andina II offerings to determine value.