Tag - EMITF

Fuel Systems Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq:FSYS), athenahealth Inc. (Nasdaq:ATHN) and Allos Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:ALTH) are among the most actively traded companies in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Rambus Inc. (Nasdaq:RMBS), Elbit Imaging Ltd. (Nasdaq:EMITF), Liberty Media Corp. (Nasdaq:LCAPA), Zoltek Companies Inc. (Nasdaq:ZOLT), Papa Johns International Inc. (Nasdaq:PZZA) and Papa Johns International Inc. (Nasdaq:PZZA).

DryShips Inc (Nasdaq:DRYS), Ezcorp Inc (Nasdaq:EZPW) and Ciena Corp (Nasdaq:CIEN) are among the most actively traded companies in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Geron Corp (Nasdaq:GERN), Palm Inc (Nasdaq:PALM), Danvers Bancorp Inc (Nasdaq:DNBK), Elbit Imaging Ltd (Nasdaq:EMITF), Clean Energy Fuels Corp (Nasdaq:CLNE) and First Busey Corp (Nasdaq:BUSE).

Small-cap stocks went into freefall mode Thursday, weighed down by fears that the U.S. economy is careening toward recession following a fresh batch of awful economic indicators today and worries in front of the employment report Friday. In addition, jitters ahead of an expected House vote on a revamped version of the $700 billion bailout of financial institutions overshadowed any upbeat response to the Senate’s overwhelming approval of the rescue plan overnight.

The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) shed 33.92, or 5.05%, to 637.67, the lowest daily close in nearly three years. Today’s slide marked the second-largest one day decline of the year, and just the fifth time the market has suffered a session loss greater than 4%. All five of those instances have taken place in just the last two weeks of trading. After flirting with a yearly gain just two weeks ago, small-cap stocks are now down 16.7% for 2008; meanwhile, the Dow is off 20.9%, the S&P 500 off 24.1%.

The market was already in a shaky position this morning when weekly unemployment claims soared to the highest level since September 2001, an ominous sign ahead of Friday morning’s big monthly employment report. Breaking down the details of the claims report failed to serve up any silver linings either, as the four-week moving average for claims was the highest in seven years and continuing claims were at a five-year peak.

The claims data was a harsh blow just a day after manufacturing data from the ISM Manufacturing Survey was at recession levels and vehicle sales stalled to stunningly weak 16-year lows. Just to underscore the manufacturing malaise in play right now, today’s factory orders report tumbled to minus 4.0%, well below the forecast of minus 2%.

The combination of sinking equity prices, slumping economic conditions and a sudden collapse in commodity prices had market participants talking about deflation — an ironic surprise given fears of soaring inflation were all the rage just a few weeks ago. Crude oil prices dropped $4.56 a barrel Thursday to $93.97, while gold, . . .

Small-cap stocks remained under heavy selling pressure into mid-session, as yet another soft economic data report kept a dark mood in tow for investors. At 12:55 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 20.37, or 3.03%, at 651.22, hitting the lowest point on intraday charts since mid-July.

The market was already in a foul mood this morning following news that unemployment claims soared to a seven-year high – which is not encouraging on the eve of the big monthly jobs release. Then, just to rub a little salt in that wound, factory orders came in well below the forecast at minus 4%, compared with expectations for a slide of 2%. Wednesday’s dreadful ISM Manufacturing Survey already suggested that manufacturing was in recession territory, and today’s factory orders report certainly didn’t do anything to squash those fears.

Although most prognosticators are predicting the House will approve the revamped version of the $700 billion “Paulson Plan” bailout of the financial market credit mess, there is still some uncertainty lingering in the air. After all, everyone expected the House to OK the previous plan before they shot it down last week. History repeatedly shows us that the stock market tends to trade aggressively in only one direction amid uncertainty – and that is south.

The push for a safe-haven has been evident so far today, with money moving into Treasury products. The yield on benchmark 10-year notes is down about 1.7% (yields move inverse to price) which reflects strong demand for Treasury products. The dollar is on a strong upward thrust today, lifted primarily by a sinking euro after the ECB kept rates steady at its policy meeting today and the ECB chief cautioned that . . .