Tag - ROCK

Gilbratat Industries Inc (Nasdaq:ROCK), United Security Bancshares (Nasdaq:USBI) Kendle International Inc (Nasdaq:KNDL) and Orchids Paper Products Co (Nasdaq:TSI) are among the biggest percentage losers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: American Dairy Inc (Nasdaq:ADY), Commercefirst Bancorp Inc (Nasdaq:CMFB), Kadant Inc (Nasdaq:KAI), Cornell Companies Inc (Nasdaq:CRN) and Olympic Steel Inc (Nasdaq:ZEUS).

Deerfield Capital Corp. (Nasdaq:DFR), Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. (Nasdaq:HMIN) and Gibraltar Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:ROCK) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSIQ), HSN Inc. (Nasdaq:HSNI), Zumiez Inc. (Nasdaq:ZUMZ), US Auto Parts Network Inc. (Nasdaq:PRTS), InfoSpace Inc. (Nasdaq:INSP) and Global Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq:GLBL).

Trina Solar Ltd. (Nasdaq:TSL), LDK Solar Co Ltd. (Nasdaq:LDK) and Citi Trends Inc. (Nasdaq:CTRN) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSIQ), Texas Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:TXI), Scholastic Corp. (Nasdaq:SCHL), Gibraltar Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:ROCK), GT Solar International Inc. (Nasdaq:SOLR) and Woodward Governor Co. (Nasdaq:WGOV).

Psychiatric Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq:PSYS), Healthspring Inc. (Nasdaq:HS) and Kronos Worldwide Inc. (Nasdaq:KRO) are among the new 52-week lows in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Quaker Chemical Corp. (Nasdaq:KWR), Amsurg Corporation (Nasdaq:AMSG), Gibraltar Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:ROCK), Con-Way Inc. (Nasdaq:CNW), Met-Pro Corp. (Nasdaq:MPR) and Farmers Capital Bank Corp. (Nasdaq:FFKT).

Gibraltar Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:ROCK), MWI Veterinary Supply Inc. (Nasdaq:MWIV) and Integral System Inc..(Nasdaq:ISYS) are among the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: General Maritime Corp. (Nasdaq:GMR), Knot Inc. (Nasdaq:KNOT), Capital Bank Corp. (Nasdaq:CBKN), Ducommun Inc. (Nasdaq:DCO), Perry Ellis International Inc. (Nasdaq:PERY) and Badger Meter Inc. (Nasdaq:BMI).

Small-cap stocks opened lower but battled back to steady levels, pressured by profit-taking after Tuesday’s big FOMC rally. Weak profit news on the financial front and lingering worries about the recession prompted a pause in the updraft, which saw small-caps climb to the highest daily close Tuesday since mid-November.  Some of today’s small-cap gainers are Cadence Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NYSE:PCH), Telvent  (Nasdaq:TLVT) and Joy Global (Nasdaq:JOYG).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• This morning, the yield on benchmark 10-year notes was down a whopping 6%, indicating strong demand for underlying Treasury securities.  
• The only physical product making huge waves right now is the cocoa market, which rose to 22-year highs in London trading.  
• Commodities should find underlying support from the recent slide in the U.S. dollar, which tumbled to 13 ½-year lows against the yen today.  
• Emerging market stocks found support overnight, with Hungary’s beaten down stock market climbing 6% amid gains in oil and gas stocks.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Cadence Pharmaceuticals Inc. jumped 48% on news of a positive trial for a post-surgery abdominal pain drug. See (NYSE:PCH).
• Telvent Oversees Lan-Zheng-Chang liquid pipeline operation, the largest liquid pipeline in China. Shares rise 13%. See (Nasdaq:TLVT).  
• Joy Global up 11% after Q4 profit rises on strong demand. See (Nasdaq:JOYG). 
• Energy Conversion Devices is climbing above 10% despite a maintained "sell" rating by Citi. See (Nasdaq:ENER).  

Small Cap Losers:

• Gibraltar Steel Corp. gapped lower and shed 26% building products manufacturer updated guidance and announced the closure of a manufacturing facility. See (Nasdaq:ROCK).  
• Soleil Securities initiates coverage on Ducommun with a "sell;" shares fall 13%. See (NYSE:DCO).
• QBE Insurance Group Limited completes PMI Asia acquisition. Shares of PMI are down 10% on the news. See (NYSE:PMI).  
• Small-cap homebuilder Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. missed the earnings forecast and HOV shares were off 7.5% shortly after the open. See (NYSE:HOV).

Small-cap stocks opened lower but battled back to steady levels, pressured by profit-taking after Tuesday’s big FOMC rally. Weak profit news on the financial front and lingering worries about the recession prompted a pause in the updraft, which saw small caps climb to the highest daily close Tuesday since mid-November. At 9:56 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 0.11, or 0.02%, at 482.74.

Ahead of the opening, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) announced a larger-than-expected quarterly loss, which could weigh on financial shares early today. MS stock was off 4.3% immediately after the open and financial stocks were on the defensive. Tech stocks were soft early as well, with bellwether Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL) off 4.6% on concerns about the health of CEO Steve Jobs.

The weekly MBA Mortgage Application Index rose 2.9%, bolstered by a pickup in refinancing, with the MBA’s refinance sub-index climbing 6.5%. The rise in activity was powered by a slide in mortgage rates, which hit the lowest point last week since June 2003. A recent spike in mortgage activity, coupled with talk that the Federal Reserve will target mortgage rates has been a boon to homebuilder stocks, with the ISE Homebuilder Index soaring 78% from the Nov. 21 low. This morning, however, homebuilders appear to be in correction mode with the overall market. On the company news front, small-cap homebuilder Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (NYSE:HOV) missed the earnings forecast and HOV shares were off 7.5% shortly after the open.

Crude oil prices drifted back and forth between positive and negative territory into the stock market open today, as the market braced for a production cut from this week’s OPEC meeting. Emerging market stocks found support overnight, with Hungary’s beaten down stock market climbing 6% amid gains in oil and gas stocks. Commodities . . .

DryShips Inc. (Nasdaq:DRYS), DrdGold ADR (Nasdaq:DROOY) and Gibraltar Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:ROCK) are among the most actively traded companies in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSIQ), Tessera Technologies (Nasdaq:TSRA), Ciena Corp. (Nasdaq:CIEN), Central European Media Enterprises Ltd. (Nasdaq:CETV), Eagle Bulk Shipping Inc. (Nasdaq:EGLE) and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. (Nasdaq:CBRL).

DryShips Inc. (Nasdaq:DRYS), Solarfun Power Holdings Co Ltd. (Nasdaq:SOLF) and (Nasdaq:SWKS) are among the most actively traded companies in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: A Power Energy Generation Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq:APWR), Canadian Solar Inc. (Nasdaq:CSIQ), James River Coal Co. (Nasdaq:JRCC), Blackbaud Inc. (Nasdaq:BLKB), OmniVision Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:OVTI) and Gibraltar Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:ROCK).

Here are the most actively traded companies among small caps:

Small-cap stocks edged higher Monday, bucking a downdraft in other large-cap index products as more good news in the banking arena surfaced. In addition, movement into smaller energy and commodity stocks provided a lift to the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM). The small-cap benchmark gained 4.55, or 0.66%, to 697.63.

Large-cap indices also were pulled down by a slump in pharmaceuticals, with Merck and Co. (NYSE:MRK) and Schering-Plough (NYSE:SGP) taking a dive ahead of earnings on news that the cholesterol drug Vitorin didn’t deliver the goods in a heart study. The slide in pharma shares came despite a jump in Genentech Inc. (NYSE:DNA) shares on news of a buyout offer from Swiss firm Roche Holdings.

In today’s action, large-cap stocks also appeared to be more troubled by a bounce in crude oil prices than did small-cap shares. Crude oil prices rose $2.16 dollars a barrel, or 1.6% to $131 as the market braced for the first storm event of the year. Tropical Storm Dolly could reach hurricane status Tuesday as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico, but for now the storm track seems unlikely to create a major supply disruption out of Gulf production.

Energy markets also likely were underpinned by a soft tone in the U.S. dollar to start the week. The greenback slipped about 0.5% against the euro and about 0.2% versus the yen, which provided a lift to some commodities markets, including gold and copper. The iPath GSCI Total Return commodities index was up about 1.5% on the day.

Once again, the bullish side of things was dominated by a surprise earnings report in the banking sector. Last week, Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC), JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) and Citigroup (NYSE:C) all beat the Street’s forecast and today saw Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) top expectations. The recent spate of good news on the banking front has helped to shore up negative sentiment toward . . .

California First National Bancorp (Nasdaq:CFNB), Gibraltar Industries Inc (Nasdaq:ROCK) and Horizon Financial Corp (Wash) (Nasdaq:HRZB) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Palm Harbor Homes Inc (Nasdaq:PHHM), Orbitz Worldwide Inc (Nasdaq:OWW), Southwest Bancorp Inc (Nasdaq:OKSB), Horizon Bancorp (Indiana) (Nasdaq:HBNC), Peoples Bancorp of North Carolina Inc (Nasdaq:PEBK) and Firstbank Corp (Alma, Michigan) (Nasdaq:FBMI).

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

Gibraltar Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:ROCK) is up 9% today after analysts at Piper Jaffray upgraded the Buffalo, N.Y.-based company ahead of the opening to “buy” from “neutral.” The research firm also increased the price target to $16 from $15.50. Gibraltar produces and distributes commercial and residential building products. Piper Jaffray said the upgrade was due to better operating margins and commodity-based price increases on steel products.

In today’s trading, shares are at $13.62 at 9:42 a.m. ET, up $1.16 from Friday’s close. During the past 52 weeks, shares have ranged between $9.59 and $23.44.

Small-cap shares had an uneventful session Thursday, hovering near steady levels much of the day while posting one of the quietest daily ranges seen this year. In the end, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) gained 3.33, or 0.47%, to 719.55. Earnings results from American International Group (NYSE:AIG) came out about 15 minutes after the close, and how AIG fares overnight could play a key role in the opening mood for Friday for financial shares and the market in general.

Early on today the market found support by short-covering from quick turn traders who caught the slide yesterday. In addition, weekly chain store sales and the morning economic data were supportive, which brought some bids into play.

The chain store report reflected decent sales for Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and Costco (Nasdaq:COST), and was expected to play a supportive role for retailers overall. However, the tone was mixed to soft much of the day for retailer shares, and in fact department stores, home improvement retail and general merchandise stores were all lower within the S&P sector groups.

As for the economic data, weekly claims were below forecast and the wholesale inventory data was also above the median projection. While weekly claims caught some attention as bullish news, the market was little changed in the immediate aftermath of both reports. In general, recent economic data out of the United States has tended to surprise on the upside, but with prices pulling back off three-month highs, perhaps traders will need to see more dramatic surprises to spark . . .

After a brief opening bounce, small-cap stocks are down slightly from Wednesday, but have been mostly steady in Thursday’s session. At 12:03 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 0.02, or 0.17%, at 716.04.

After skyrocketing crude oil sent stocks earthward during Wednesday’s action, sturdy results from Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and Costco (Nasdaq:COST) offered early encouragement to traders. In the midday session, Wal-Mart is up 1.3% while Costco is down 0.1%. Also supporting bullish sentiments was footwear maker Crocs Inc.’s (Nasdaq:CROX) offered a solid outlook for the remainder of the year. CROX is up more than 16% shortly before noon.

Soaring crude oil futures eased somewhat to $122.53 a barrel after touching a record-high of $123.93. The dollar is stronger against the euro at $1.5395 after . . .

Central Garden & Pet Co. (Nasdaq:CENT), Gibraltar Industries Inc (Nasdaq:ROCK) and Overhill Farms Inc (Nasdaq:OFI) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

RH Donnelley Corp (Nasdaq:RHD), China Technology Development Group Corp (Nasdaq:CTDC) and Colfax Corp (Nasdaq:CFX) are also among the biggest percentage gainers.

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

Small-cap stocks were treading water near steady levels, unable to sustain an opening bounce that was tied to short profit-taking from traders who caught the slide yesterday and by decent weekly chain store sales. At 10:02 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 0.19, or 0.03%, at 716.40.

The weekly chain store sales report was up 1.4% versus the same week last year and reflected a solid showing by Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and Costco (Nasdaq:COST), which could provide a lift throughout retailer shares this morning. However, Wal-Mart was basically flat early on, and Costco was down about 1.5%. On the plus side on the retail front, plastic shoe maker Crocs Inc. (Nasdaq:CROX) jumped 24% on the opening after investors embraced the company’s outlook for the rest of the year. Crocs has been sinking like a rock since February, which puts today’s rally in a different perspective.

On the economic data front, the weekly claims data came in slightly better than the median forecast at 365,000 versus 375,000, but the report had very little impact on the market. The 10:00 a.m. ET wholesale inventories report came in soft at down 0.1% compared with the forecast for a gain of 0.5%. However, the wholesale inventory report is for March data, is considered dated by many traders and had almost no impact on prices when released.

Price action for small caps was bleak yesterday, with the Russell 2000 generating a bearish outside reversal on daily charts and faltering near a familiar zone that stopped the recovery back in early February. Some of the short-term players . . .