Russell 2000 futures move up

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) futures are higher and the small-cap index will likely open in positive territory.

There is little in the way of economic or corporate releases today, but investors are stepping up to buy shares after a sharp decline on Friday following news of a worse-than-expected December jobs report.

Helping fuel the bullish mood on pre-market trading today is speculation that the U.S. Federal Reserve will cut interest rates to prevent the economy from slipping into recession. The Fed is scheduled to kick-off a two-day meeting on Jan. 29. At its previous meeting on Dec. 11, it lowered the federal funds rate to 4.25% from 4.50%.

Here are the biggest percentage gainers and losers in pre-market trading among companies with a market cap between $100 million and $750 million:

Biggest percentage gainers:

• Amicus Therapeutics, Inc. (FOLD), up 14% on news of positive results from a clinical trial of a drug candidate.
• Maxwell Technologies, Inc. (MXWL), up 10% on news an automotive electronics maker selected its products.
• Origin Agritech Ltd. (SEED), up 9%.

Biggest percentage losers:

• American Railcar Industries, Inc. (ARII), down 8%.
• TiVo Inc. (TIVO) down 5%.
• ShoreTel Inc. (SHOR) down 4% on news it projects fiscal second-quarter revenue will be below the previously announced range.

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