Small-cap stocks remained higher into midday trading, surviving a choppy response to economic data this morning that served up better-than-expected numbers on services sector activity, but slumping factory orders and sinking pending home sales. Some of today’s small-cap gainers are Michael Baker Corporation (NYSE:BKR), Repros Therapeutics (Nasdaq:RPRX) and China Sky One Medical (Nasdaq:CSKI).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Worst performers: food retailers, brewers, chemical companies, finance firms, biotechs and footwear firms.  
• Homebuilder, energy and retailer stocks were solid performers so far today, and surprisingly, airline stocks were doing well despite a rise to five-week highs in crude oil prices.  
• Small-cap stocks remained higher into midday trading.  
• Advancers are leading decliners on the Russell 2000 by 1,402 to 372. 
 

Small Cap Gainers:

• New 52-wk highs: Michael Baker Corporation, Repros Therapeutics, China Sky One Medical, Transmeta Corporation and Amerisafe, Inc. (See NYSE:BKR, Nasdaq:RPRX, Nasdaq:CSKI, Nasdaq:TMTA, Nasdaq:AMSF)  
• Home-nursing company Amedisys Inc. is up 16.4% to $46.93 after issuing FY09 guidance above concensus. (See Nasdaq:AMED)  

Small Cap Losers:

• LSI Industries is down 14% to $6.03 after lowering FY09 earnings and sales guidance below consensus. (See Nasdaq:LYTS)  
• VASCO Data Security International Inc. is 12% lower at $9.10 in pre-market trading after issuing downward guidance for FY2008. (See Nasdaq:VDSI) 
• Vignette Corporation is down 8.8% to $8.24 after issuing preliminary Q4 2008 results late Monday. (See Nasdaq:VIGN)