Tag - NYSE:CCO

Petroleum Development Corp. (Nasdaq:PETD), Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:CRTX) and Universal Display Corp. (Nasdaq:PANL) are among the biggest percentage losers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: RINO International Corp. (Nasdaq:RINO), Zoltek Companies Inc. (Nasdaq:ZOLT), Providence Service Corp. (Nasdaq:PRSC), Parexel International Corporation (Nasdaq:PRXL), Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:CCO) and Colonial Bankshares Inc. (Nasdaq:COBK).

First Financial Service Corp. (Nasdaq:FFKY), Union Bankshares Inc. (Nasdaq:UNB) and MAXXAM Inc. (Nasdaq:MXM) are among the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Geokinetics Inc. (Nasdaq:GOK), Emergent Group Inc. (Nasdaq:LZR), Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:CCO), Patriot Coal Corp. (Nasdaq:PCX), ePlus Inc (Nasdaq:PLUS) and W Holding Co Inc. (Nasdaq:WHI).

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:CCO), WHX Corp. (Nasdaq:WXCO) and Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:SVNT) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Meritage Homes Corp. (Nasdaq:MTH), Volt Information Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq:VOL), Retalix Ltd. (Nasdaq:RTLX), Bottomline Technologies  Inc. (Nasdaq:EPAY), John Bean Technologies Corp (Nasdaq:JBT) and Saia Inc. (Nasdaq:SAIA).

The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) dove again Tuesday, closing down over 2% and rejecting a brief afternoon bounce into positive territory. Today’s small-cap gainers are Optimer Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:OPTR), Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings (NYSE:CCO) and Hospitality Properties Trust (NYSE:HPT).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• For the year, small caps are off 37%, while the Dow is down 34% and the S&P 500 is down 39%.
• Energy, insurance, retail, technology and financial stocks were major sources of weakness today.
• Homebuilders, drug stocks, agriculture products and home entertainment software companies lagged the overall market downdraft.
• Russia is the second-largest oil producer in the world and in addition to the commodity woes right now, had to raise interest rates today to fight off capital outflow and inflation.
• Crude oil prices tumbled to 20-month lows, slipping below $59 a barrel as concerns about demand continue to chip away at commodity valuation.
• Data from China overnight showed that import growth was slowing and that inflation was at a 17-month low.
• The slide in physical markets gained momentum as the dollar rallied against the euro, with the greenback up 1.5% as the day progressed.
• The Commodity Research Bureau Index of 19 commodity markets tumbled some 3%, sinking to the lowest point since December 2003.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Optimer Pharmaceuticals Inc. jumped 87% on news that the firm’s antibiotic drug met late-stage trial goals. See (Nasdaq:OPTR).
• Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings closed up 27% despite being downgraded . . .

Small-cap stocks remained in negative territory into mid-session, pressured by worries about corporate profitability in a sluggish economic environment around the world. Today’s small-cap gainers are Russ Berrie (NYSE:RUS), Clear Channel Outdoor  (NYSE:CCO) and Hospitality Properties Trust (NYSE:HPT).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• As for the insurers, analysts at Goldman Sachs lowered ratings on the group and the S&P Insurance Index was down 6% at midday.  
• Real estate services are getting hammered today, as are tire, rubber and automobile manufacturers, wireless telecoms and insurance stocks.  
• The only area showing decent strength is agriculture products.
• Crude oil prices tumbled to 20-month lows today, slipping below $59 a barrel, which kept energy and commodity stocks on the defensive.  
• Credit futures are near contract highs, with European bond futures making contract highs today, which shows that money flow is into credit instruments, not equities.  

Small Cap Gainers:

• Russ Berrie reports Q3 results; shares pop 30%. See (NYSE:RUS).  
• Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings up 25% despite being downgraded to "market perform." See (NYSE:CCO).  
• Hospitality Properties Trust reported solid third-quarter earnings and rose 16%. See (NYSE:HPT).
• MGIC Investment Corp. up 12% in lower-than-average volume. See (NYSE:MTG).  
• Hill International up 9% after being honored as "Construction Management Firm of the Year" by the Developers & Builders Alliance. See (NYSE:HIL).  

Small Cap Losers:

• Bidz.com Inc. shed 35% after the online retailer slashed the full-year outlook, a numbing concept into the key holiday shopping season. See (Nasdaq:BIDZ).  
• Stillwater Mining warns it will not break even on PGM mining without operational changes; shares dive 30%. See (NYSE:SWC).  
• PHH Corp. on Monday reported a wider Q3 loss; shares still reeling, down 25% today. See (NYSE:PHH).  
• Strategic Hotels reports net loss last week, shares down 9% today. See (NYSE:BEE).  

The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) started out the week with a whimper, unable to build on initial enthusiasm about a big stimulus plan out of China. Today’s small-cap gainers are Centennial Communications (Nasdaq:CYCL), American International Group (NYSE:AFF) and Wavecom SA (Nasdaq:WVCM).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Coal, agriculture products, aluminum, gold, metals and mining stocks and oil and gas drillers are top performers today.
• Anything REITS was getting hammered, as were automakers, wireless telecoms and investment bank stocks.
• Energy traders continue to be ultra sensitive to declines in equities, fearing a troubled economy will squash demand. 
• Copper jumped 8% in Asia, gold was on a roll and crude oil climbed 4% into the U.S. open.
• Crude oil futures eventually closed up about $1 a barrel for the day.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Centennial Communications Corp. soared 103% on unusually brisk volume on news that AT&T (NYSE:T) would buy the rural phone company for $944 million. See (Nasdaq:CYCL).
• U.S. plans more aid for AIG; shares closed up 62%. See (NYSE:AFF). 
• Wavecom SA jumped 23% on news that a hostile takeover of the firm was underway for the embedded wireless technology maker. See (Nasdaq:WVCM).

Small Cap Losers:

• Allied Capital Corp. tumbled some 43% today, as third quarter results did not impress investors. See (NYSE:ALD).
• Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. was off 37% as the outdoor advertising firm also get a thumbs down on earnings news. See (NYSE:CCO).
• Southwest Water Company dropped 37% as the water, wastewater and public works firm announced it will delay third quarter 10-Q filings (SEC quarterly . . .

Small-cap stocks started out the week with a whimper, unable to build on initial enthusiasm about a big stimulus plan out of China. In the end, worries about the economy, sagging financial shares and a belly flop in REITS was too much to overcome and the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) lost 12.69, or 2.51%, to 493.10. Small caps remained soft relative to large-caps, consistent with investor paranoia about risk right now. The Russell finished the day down 36% for the year, while the Dow is off 33% and the S&P 500 is down 37%.

The market came in on a high after China announced plans overnight to unleash a $586-billion stimulus package, aimed primarily at infrastructure improvements. The news sparked a 7% rally in Chinese stocks, a 5.8% surge in Japan equities and a 2% jump in European shares heading into the U.S. open.  Investors here in America seemed willing at first to carry the baton, with the Russell climbing nearly 2% right off the bat before hitting a wall.

Part of that wall was likely tied to concern about just how China would really funnel money into these projects and how much they were already going to do anyhow. Fair or not, there is a general sense that getting exact numbers out of China is a very inexact science. Still, extra money to pump life into the world’s fourth largest economy is clearly a good thing, and there are other worries to deal with, which also snuffed out some of the initial buying spark.

Commodities came into today’s session on fire overseas, eager to see the China stimulus plan as a bedrock for demand for physical goods. Copper jumped 8% in Asia, gold was on a roll and crude oil climbed 4% into the U.S. open. Although commodities remained a point of strength today for equities (the Commodity Research Bureau Index rose 1.7%), even those overnight gains were difficult to sustain. Crude oil futures eventually closed up about $1 a barrel for the day.

Financial stocks clearly struggled today, and an early lift from a G20 weekend statement supporting coordinated global plans to attack the financial crisis had a very short shelf life. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) climbed nearly 4% on the open, . . .

Small-cap stocks turned lower into midday trading, pulled down by worries about the economy, sinking REITS, soft financial stocks and concern that a big stimulus plan announced by China overnight might not be enough to jolt worldwide economic conditions out of the doldrums. Today’s small-cap gainers are AIG (NYSE:AFF), General Steel Holdings Inc. (NYSE:GSI) and Scopus Video Networks (Nasdaq:SCOP).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• S&P's: U.S. REITS may face more negative rating actions; struggling capital markets, awful real estate fundamentals also threaten REITS.  
• Energy traders continue to be ultra sensitive to declines in equities, fearing a troubled economy will squash demand.  
• Coal, agriculture products, aluminum, gold, metals and mining stocks and oil and gas drillers are top performers today.  
• The Russell was the first major index product to slip into the red, beating the Dow and S&P 500 into negative territory by about an hour.  

Small Cap Gainers:

• U.S. plans more aid for AIG; shares up 62%. See (NYSE:AFF).  
• General Steel Holdings Inc. rallied 21% ahead of its earnings release on Friday. See (NYSE:GSI).  
• Scopus Video Networks announces record Q3 2008 results; shares flying 15% higher. See (Nasdaq:SCOP).
• Top executives to buy back shares of VisionChina Media; shares up 15% in morning trading. See (Nasdaq:VISN).  
• Silver Standard last week turned to profit in Q3; shares up 15% today, rising on a commodities boost seen in the market. See (Nasdaq:SSRI)


Small Cap Losers:

• Southwest Water Company slipped 21% after announcing a delay in filings and a postponement on a conference call. See (Nasdaq:SWWC).  
• General Growth Properties down nearly 20% after a myriad of class-action lawsuits were announced against the REIT over the weekend. See (NYSE:GGP).  
• Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Q3 profit declines; shares slump 18%. See (NYSE:CCO).  
• Newcastle Investment Corp. clocked a Q3 loss on Friday; shares are 17% lower today. See (NYSE:NCT).

Small-cap stocks turned lower into midday trading, pulled down by worries about the economy, sinking REITS, soft financial stocks and concern that a big stimulus plan announced by China overnight might not be enough to jolt worldwide economic conditions out of the doldrums. At 12:16 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 4.05, or 0.80% at 501.75. The Russell was the first major index product to slip into the red, beating the Dow and S&P 500 into negative territory by about an hour.

There are always concerns about how the numbers actually shape up when dealing with details out of China. Skeptics looked at the plan calling for $586 billion worth of stimulus and wondered if most of that money was already planned anyhow, or just how much would actually be put to work. Still, the overall sense was that the China news positive, but that there were still plenty of landmines to avoid in coming months.

Commodity shares were the top performers through the morning, bolstered by the China news, by oversold conditions and by a mild dip in the U.S. dollar versus the euro. Coal, agriculture products, aluminum, gold, metals and mining stocks and oil and gas drillers were among the top broad market sectors today. Meanwhile, anything REITS was getting hammered, as were automakers. Wireless telecoms and investment bank stocks were also attracting heavy selling.

Crude oil prices actually slipped into the red by midday, giving back $4 a barrel worth of gains from overnight. Energy traders continue to be ultra sensitive to declines in equities, fearing a troubled economy will squash demand.

It was interesting to see that the Commodity Research Bureau Index of 19 physical markets was only up 1.4% at midday, not all that dramatic of a move given the overnight rally in crude oil, gold and copper from the China news. Gold seemed to be best commodity performer, perhaps tied to inflation positioning down the road, but commodities in general were backing off the morning highs as the day . . .

Tortoise Energy Capital Corp. (Nasdaq:TYY), Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. (Nasdaq:TYG) and NL Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:NL) are among the biggest percentage losers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Liberty Media Corp. (Nasdaq:LCAPA), Hungarian Telephone and Cable Corp. (Nasdaq:HTC), Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:CCO), Renaissance Learning Inc. (Nasdaq:RLRN) and Helix Energy Solutions Group Inc. (Nasdaq:HLX).

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

Small-cap stocks hovered near steady levels in choppy morning action, with support from last week’s impressive rally countered by profit-taking and unease toward the crude oil market. At 10:02 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 1.43, or 0.20% at 735.73.

Crude oil prices backed off the overnight highs into the stock market open, but remain in positive territory as traders were concerned that the military conflict between Russia and Georgia could disrupt oil transport through the Caspian region. Still, a mild upside push in crude oil this morning hardly takes the shine off last week’s collapse in energy prices, which highlighted a welcome pullback on the commodity inflation front.

A big part of last week’s bullish story revolved around a stunning appreciation in the U.S. dollar, which exploded against both the euro and the yen, reaching multi-month highs against worldwide currency products in the process. This morning, the greenback was tame, basically flat vs. the euro, and down about 0.3% against the yen.

Without any major economic data on the docket today, stock market investors should be free to focus on company news, macro trends and gyrations in commodities.