NYSE president expects lively IPO market ahead

It has been an exceptionally slow year for the IPO market , but New York Stock Exchange President Tom Farley has the feeling things will be heating up from here.

"I'm optimistic because all the pieces are in place — low interest rates, high asset prices, low volatility," he said in an interview with CNBC's " Closing Bell " Monday.

The looming election may have some scared, but history shows elections don't really impact the health of the market for initial public offerings, he added.

"It has the possibility of being really a lively second half of the year," he said.

Farley said there has been some reluctance of companies to go public, particularly technology businesses. While two years ago he would go to tech conferences and hear all about the disadvantages of going public, he's noticed a change in tone.

"I was just at a conference out in Colorado last week and there were a lot of good tech CEOs saying, 'I actually want a new currency with which to do acquisitions. There's a lot of opportunity now, I want permanent financing,'" he said.

Cloud software Twilio (NYSE: TWLO) was the first unicorn to go public this year when it priced at $15 a share in June. In a single session it skyrocketed to $28, a 91 percent gain.

— CNBC's Abigail Stevenson contributed to this report.

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