China Outstrips US as The Center for IPOs

China has outstripped the U.S. in the amount of money raised from stock listings, underscoring the region's stronger economy and resurgence in investment.

Regional companies have raised nearly $52 billion from the initial public offerings on exchanges in Hong Kong and mainland China so far this year, according to financial research firm Dealogic. That's about twice as much as the $26.5 billion in American IPOs.

Hong Kong alone has drawn more than $27 billion this year, making the southern Chinese financial center the world's top city for equity capital raising for the first time, according to Dealogic's records dating to 1997. The activity underscores the yawning gap in economic strength between Asia and the West.