Tag - IOMI

ArcSight Inc (Nasdaq:ARST), Westwood Holdings Group Inc (Nasdaq:WHG) and PC-Tel Inc (Nasdaq:PCTI) are among the new 52-week highs in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Here are the new 52-week highs among small caps:

AeroVironment Inc (Nasdaq:AVAV), First Advantage Bancorp (Nasdaq:FABK) and Diamond Foods Inc (Nasdaq:DMND) are among the new 52-week highs in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Here are the new 52-week highs among small caps:

Iomai Corp (Nasdaq:IOMI), Brigham Exploration Co (Nasdaq:BEXP) and Fuel Systems Solutions Inc (Nasdaq:FSYS) are among the new 52-week highs in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

Maine & Maritimes Corp (Nasdaq:MAM), VAALCO Energy Inc (Nasdaq:EGY) and VanceInfo Technologies Inc (Nasdaq:VIT) are also among the new 52-week highs.

Here are the new 52-week highs among small caps:

Small-cap shares edged higher Tuesday, carefully sidestepping yet another record high in crude oil prices, analyst downgrades on brokerages and nagging concerns about pinched consumer pocketbooks. Instead, the focus was on investment money flow out of other products into stocks, yet another “better-than-advertised” key economic report on retail sales and ideas that a bevy of Federal Reserve speakers were tilted toward inflation risk versus sluggish growth worry. For the day, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) gained 3.62, or 0.49%, to 736.85. After notching the highest daily close since Jan. 3 on Monday, today small caps managed to accumulate the loftiest intraday reading since Jan. 4.

Investors were able to set aside overnight losses tied to the aforementioned analyst downgrades of brokerage firms and jitters over losses in European shares when the monthly retail sales report came out above expectations. Although the headline figure came out near the forecast at 0.2%, the ex-autos component was at 0.5%, which was well above the median projection of 0.2%. In essence, it allowed the market a little breathing room early on as traders then sorted through various Federal Reserve speakers, earnings news, crude oil gyrations and merger/acquisition news.

It was another day in which small caps outperformed large-cap index products, which is a positive signal for bulls, who might be wondering whether or not equities can extend the rally off the March lows. However, despite the small-cap edge on large caps of late, it should also be noted that volume has been anemic. Instead of the old adage “sell in May and go away,” perhaps investors just went away and didn’t bother with the selling part.

Stock market investors had to navigate through some uncertain water today, as a dizzying array of Federal Reserve speakers were out providing their perspective on monetary policy moves and the state of the economy. It’s never easy to fully decipher Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s state of mind, much less . . .

Iomai Corp (Nasdaq:IOMI), Fuel Systems Solutions Inc (Nasdaq:FSYS) and USANA Health Sciences Inc (Nasdaq:USNA) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

Avant Immunotherapeutics Inc (Nasdaq:AVAN), LaserCard Corp (Nasdaq:LCRD) and North American Palladium Ltd (Nasdaq:PAL) are also among the biggest percentage gainers.

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

Small-cap stocks are treading shallowly in the red midday, while the other major indices remain deeper in the red after Fed Chairman Bernanke said that markets are “far from normal,” oil prices hit record levels, major brokerage houses on the Street were downgraded and housing prices saw the steepest decline in 26 years.
 
At 1:19 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) edged down 1.45, or 0.2%, at 731.78, while the Dow had skidded 84.27, 0.65%, at 12,792.04.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke earlier this morning about liquidity issues in the financial markets. He said that the liquidity measures taken by the Fed to ease the credit crisis have helped, but that the markets are still “far from normal.” Also slated to speak this afternoon on the state of the economy are Federal Reserve San Francisco President Janet Yellen, Kansas City Fed President Thomas Hoenig and Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher.

“I believe that the current credit problems will take some time to resolve. Therefore, monetary policy will remain loose for much longer than many are anticipating,” said Doug Roberts, chief investment strategist for ChannelCapitalResearch.com, an independent research firm focusing on investment strategies using the Federal Reserve's impact on the stock prices. “You still have negative interest rates. Eventually as fear abates and as oil prices stabilize, small caps are going to start to rally because of the liquidity infused into the system. You’re even starting to see small caps at least in parity with large caps this year.”

Today’s pullback comes on the heels of Monday’s robust 1% advance. Oil reversed course nearing $127 a barrel intra-session on concerns that Iran may cut crude oil production. Gold slumped $16.60 per ounce to $868, as the greenback gained ground against the euro and the yen.

In other bleak economic news, the National Association of Realtors reported this morning that single-family home prices declined 7.7% in the first quarter, . . .

Small-cap stocks edged slightly lower, pulled down by profit-taking from traders who caught the rally Monday, by analyst downgrades for several brokerage firms and by ongoing jitters over crimped consumer spending. However, better-than-forecast retail sales data generated some buying interest this morning. At 9:55 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 2.01, or 0.27%, at 731.23.

The retail sales report sported a headline figure at minus 0.2%, which was in line with the forecast, but the ex-autos figure was up 0.5%, which was well above the consensus of 0.2%. The surprisingly stout sales figure sparked a reversal in overnight selling in stocks, pushing stock index futures and index basket products into the green ahead of the regular opening.

The market has seen a run of late where economic data surprises on the upside, but many in the economic community remain unconvinced that a recovery in equities or the recent above-forecast data means that the economy is out of the woods. “Equity prices in the United States, Europe, Japan and India show a noticeable recovery from this tumultuous period, while stock prices indexes in China, Brazil and Russia have also posted gains from their recent lows. We remain skeptical because the worst of the weakness in U.S. business activity is not here yet,” Asha Bangalore, economist with Northern Trust, said in an email.

The market could continue to bask in the glow today of the Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) purchase of Electronic Data Systems (NYSE:EDS) for $12.6 billion, which will heighten the anticipation of additional merger and acquisition activity. If there is M&A activity in large caps, certainly there are deals to be done for small-cap companies as well.

Coming into today’s session, the market was on the defensive in overnight trading on a dip in European shares following a jump in U.K. inflation data and write-downs from a large French bank. In addition, an Oppenheimer analyst downgraded . . .

U.S. stocks are holding on to their gains despite news of a drop in April existing home sales.  At 11:29 a.m. ET the Russell 2000 was up 5.26 points, or 0.64%, to 829.06.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 49.98 points, or 0.37%, to 13,491.11.

Shares of Gaithersburg, Md.-based Iomai Corp. (Nasdaq: IOMI) are falling following news its patch-based vaccine for seasonal influenza is less effective than an injected vaccine.