Small caps sink at Friday's close; HNSN, RBCN and IPCR lead gainers

Forced liquidations, fear of a global recession and a worrisome corporate profit picture sparked another stiff sell-off in small-cap stocks, capping off a bruising week that saw the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) sink to the lowest close in more than five years. The Russell closed down 18.80, or 3.84%, at 471.12 and is now down 38% for 2008. The Dow is off 37% this year, while the S&P 500 is down 40%. Today’s small-cap gainers are Hansen Medical (Nasdaq:HNSN), Rubicon Technology (Nasdaq:RBCN) and IPC Holdings (Nasdaq:IPCR).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Today’s slump underscored the fact that the credit crisis and economic crunch we’ve been feeling in America is also very much a global problem.
• This morning, data in Great Britain revealed that the U.K. economy contracted for the first time in 16 years, which ignited the largest one-day slide in the pound since 1992. 
• Also, Argentinean officials are pondering taking over billions in pension funds, Asian equities and European bourses are at five-year lows and even commodity markets are in a scary freefall.
• Crude oil prices plunged again today, sinking 5% to 17-month lows at $64.15 a barrel.
• The Commodity Research Bureau Index of 19 physical markets collapsed to the lowest point since January 2004 and is down more than 50% from the spring highs.

Small Cap Gainers:

• IPC Holdings gained 18% on no fresh news. See (Nasdaq:IPCR).  
• Rubicon Technology gained 24% at closing. See (Nasdaq:RBCN).  
• Hansen Medical closed up 30% after its bottom-line beat estimates and revenues soared in Q3. See (Nasdaq:HNSN).   
• Insituform Tech posted a 16% spike in Q3 EPS that beat the Street, as it made progress in its N. Am sewer rehabilitation operations. See (Nasdaq:INSU).

Small Cap Losers:

• Ariba Inc. closed down 22% on sloppy earnings results. See (Nasdaq:ARBA).  
• Technitrol Inc. tumbled some 35% on sloppy earnings news. See (NYSE:TNL).  
• XL Capital closed down 13% after Moody’s put the insurer on watch for downgrade on posting a Q3 loss due to bailing out Syncora Holdings. See (NYSE:XL).  

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