Russell 2000 futures up sharply

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

Small-cap stocks are set for a bullish opening on news that General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) reported a fourth-quarter profit from continuing operations of $6.82 billion, or $0.68 per share, compared with $5.95 billion, or $0.58 per share, a year earlier. The result matches analysts’ expectations.

Investors will be paying attention to the Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index for January, which will be released at 10 a.m. ET. The index measures consumers’ willingness to spend money. Economists are expecting to see a small decline.

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:

• Comtech Group, Inc. (COGO), up 10%.
• MedCath Corp. (MDTH), up 9%.
• Globecomm Systems, Inc. (GCOM), up 9%.

Biggest percentage losers:

• Seattle Genetics, Inc. (SGEN), down 5% on news of a 10 million share public offering priced at $9 a share.
• Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. (MCRI), down 4%.
• Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. (ISLE), down 2%.

For access to the full article, you must be a registered member - it's FREE.

Already a member? Please log in below