In the second week of May, 13 companies joined the queue of more than 700 applicants waiting for the regulator's review of their initial public offering applications.

Analysts expected a delay in approvals from the China Securities Regulatory Commission because of the murky economic outlook, but the enthusiasm of companies seeking a listing did not seem to be dampened.

The number of companies that submitted applications in the single week of May 6 to 12 was not only a record, but also more than the total number of companies that had applied in the five weeks between April 1 and May 5, which was just 12.