Tag - RXII

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:OGXI), Colony Bankcorp Inc. (Nasdaq:CBAN) and Isramco Inc. (Nasdaq:ISRL) are among the biggest percentage losers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Mentor Graphics Corp. (Nasdaq:MENT), MAP Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:MAPP), Conn's Inc. (Nasdaq:CONN), NL Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:NL), Vicor Corp. (Nasdaq:VICR) and RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq:RXII).

Simcere Pharmaceutical Group (Nasdaq:SCR), RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq:RXII) and Stewardship Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:SSFN) are among the biggest percentage losers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Prestige Brands Holdings Inc (Nasdaq:PBH), M I Homes Inc. (Nasdaq:MHO), eHealth Inc. (Nasdaq:EHTH), K-Fed Bancorp (Nasdaq:KFED), Zions Bancorp (Nasdaq:ZION) and MSCI Inc. (Nasdaq:MXB).

Novogen Depository Receipt (Nasdaq:NVGN), Logility Inc. (Nasdaq:LGTY) and OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:OGXI) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq:NKTR), RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq:RXII) and Insight Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq:NSIT) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Buckeye Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq:BKI), Interval Leisure Group Inc. (Nasdaq:IILG), Safe Bulkers Inc. (Nasdaq:SB), TRW Automotive  (Nasdaq:TRW), American Apparel Inc. (Nasdaq:APP) and Rockwood Holdings Inc .(Nasdaq:ROC).

Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corp. (Nasdaq:AGM), STEC Inc. (Nasdaq:STEC) and O'Charley's Inc. (Nasdaq:CHUX) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Winn Dixie Stores Inc. (Nasdaq:WINN), Nelnet Inc. (Nasdaq:NNI), Kenexa Corp. (Nasdaq:KNXA), RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq:RXII), Insight Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq:NSIT) and Consolidated Water Co. Ltd (Nasdaq:CWCO).

Consolidated Water Co Ltd. (Nasdaq:CWCO), SYNNEX Corp. (Nasdaq:SNX) and RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq:RXII) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: United Rentals Inc. (Nasdaq:URI), DryShips Inc. (Nasdaq:DRYS), Echelon Corp. (Nasdaq:ELON), Lululemon Athletica Inc. (Nasdaq:LULU), Plantronics Inc. (Nasdaq:PLT) and Young Innovations Inc. (Nasdaq:YDNT).

The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) managed to end Monday in the green, rising 1.28% at closing. Some of today’s small-cap gainers were TransGlobe Energy Corporation (NYSE:TGA), RXi Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:EAT) and Anaren Inc. (Nasdaq:ANEN).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Existing home sales came in at an annual rate of 4.74M units, above the forecast of 4.4M. Sales were up 6.5%, compared with a slide of 9.4% in Nov.
• Leading indicators came in at +0.3%, better than the projection for -0.3%. This marked the first rise in leading indicators since June 2008.
• For the New Year, the Russell is now down 9.9%, while the Dow is off 7.5% and the S&P 500 is down 7.3%.
• Commodities in general rose slightly on the day, with the Commodity Research Bureau Index up 0.6%. 
• The biggest percentage movers today were dominated by small banks and financial institutions (the KBW Banking Index tumbled 1.7%). 
• Looking at the chart picture for small caps, the market is basically waffling up and down in the range set on Obama’s inauguration day.
• The market will get more information on the housing sector via Thursday’s . . .

Small-cap stocks eked out a modest advance Monday, enduring an up and down session in which better-than-expected economic data and enthusiasm about M&A activity dueled with bank worries and job loss jitters. In the end, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) closed up 5.70, or 1.28%, at 450.06. For the New Year, the Russell is now down 9.9%, while the Dow is off 7.5% and the S&P 500 is down 7.3%.

On the data front this morning, reports on existing home sales and leading indicators both beat the forecast for a rare upbeat showing out of economic data. The National Association of Realtors said that existing home sales rose 6.5% in December to an annual rate of 4.74 million units, well ahead of the projection of 4.40 million. As for leading indicators, the Conference Board said that an index of economic indicators rose 0.3% in December, which also was a much better showing than the forecast for a drop of 0.3%. It also marked the first rise in leading indicators since June.

The market will get more information on the housing sector via Thursday’s new home sales report, but the bulk of homes sold in America come via existing home sales, so today’s report was truly a ray of sunshine for a market that is teetering back on the verge of the bear market lows from November. The Russell is now down more than 13% from the January peak and last Friday generated the lowest weekly close since those bear market lows were carved out in November and the second-lowest weekly finish in more than five years. There is a large segment of market watchers who believe that the economic collapse started in the housing arena and the recovery won’t start until home prices stabilize and start to work higher. That camp got a rare positive signal today.

In addition to the economic data, a massive acquisition in the pharmaceutical arena was announced this morning before the open, with Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) — the world’s largest pharma firm — announcing plans to buy Wyeth (NYSE:WYE) for $68 billion, the largest deal in that sector for years. Pfizer shareholders didn’t care much for the news because the company will cut dividends to help pay for the purchase, and PFE shares retreated some 10%. From an overall market standpoint, . . .

Small-cap stocks remained higher into mid-session, bolstered by a big acquisition on the pharma front, which sparks hope that small caps are undervalued overall. If there are deals being done for large caps, then there should be attractive acquisitions for a bevy of smaller companies. In addition, a surprisingly strong showing on existing home sales also provided a lift to the market. Some of today's small-cap gainers were RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq:RXII), WellCare Health Plans Inc. (NYSE:WCG) and StealthGas (Nasdaq:GASS).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Looking at sector activity today, metals and mining stocks were the strongest performing group in the S&P.  
• Energy prices and stock market direction have been trading hand-in-hand of late, so the rise in equities clearly supported crude oil.
• Energy stocks were on a roll today, up 2.9%, mirroring a 3% climb in cash crude oil prices.  
• Small caps remained higher, bolstered by a big acquisition on the pharma front, which sparks hope that small caps are undervalued overall.  

Small Cap Gainers:

• RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp. jumped 31% on news that the firm will enter a research collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Medical School. See (Nasdaq:RXII).  
• WellCare Health Plans Inc. rallied about 19% as the firm updated its 2008 forecast and said it would pay in fall outstanding term loan balances. See (NYSE:WCG).
• StealthGas climbs 15% in pre-market after announcing a rise in Q3 profit; declaring dividend. See (Nasdaq:GASS).
• Homebuilder stocks were going well today, with the ISE Homebuilders Index up 4.6%, with small-cap builder Lennar Corp. rising 11%. See (NYSE:LEN). 

Small Cap Losers:

• Wyeth withdraws from Crucell takeover talks; Crucell tumbles 15% in pre-market. See (Nasdaq:CRXL).
• AMN Healthcare Services Inc. was down 13% sinking to 52-week lows. See (NYSE:AHS).  

Small-cap stocks pushed higher after a flat open, underpinned by bullish enthusiasm stoked by news that Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) would pay $68 billion for Wyeth (NYSE:WYE) in one of the biggest pharma M&A deals in years. In addition, economic data on home sales and leading indicators topped expectations, fueling the rise in equities. Some of today's small-cap gainers were RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq:RXII), WellCare Health Plans Inc. (NYSE:WCG) and StealthGas (Nasdaq:GASS).
  
Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Crude prices pushed about $1 a barrel higher, which should underpin energy shares if the firm tone persists.  
• Even though much of the early news today seemed soft (outside of the econ data), the market was holding together reasonably well.  
• Leading indicators came in at +0.3%, better than the projection for -0.3%. This marked the first rise in leading indicators since June 2008.
• Existing home sales came in at an annual rate of 4.74M units, above the forecast of 4.4M. Sales were up 6.5%, compared with a slide of 9.4% in Nov.

Small Cap Gainers:

• RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp. jumped 31% on news that the firm will enter a research collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Medical School. See (Nasdaq:RXII).  
• WellCare Health Plans Inc. rallied about 19% as the firm updated its 2008 forecast and said it would pay in fall outstanding term loan balances. See (NYSE:WCG).
• StealthGas climbs 15% in pre-market after announcing a rise in Q3 profit; declaring dividend. See (Nasdaq:GASS).
• AngioDynamics Inc. was up 12%, gapping higher and pushing toward multi-month highs. See (Nasdaq:ANGO).  

Small Cap Losers:

• Wyeth withdraws from Crucell takeover talks; Crucell tumbles 15% in pre-market. See (Nasdaq:CRXL).
• AMN Healthcare Services Inc. was down 13% sinking to 52-week lows. See (NYSE:AHS).  

Small-cap stocks pushed higher after a flat open, underpinned by bullish enthusiasm stoked by news that Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) would pay $68 billion for Wyeth (NYSE:PFE) in one of the biggest pharma M&A deals in years. In addition, economic data on home sales and leading indicators topped expectations, fueling the rise in equities. At 10:06 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 11.42, or 2.57%, at 455.78.

Existing home sales came in at an annual rate of 4.74 million units, well above the forecast of 4.40 million. Sales were up 6.5%, compared with a slide of 9.4% in November. Lower mortgage rates spurred refinance and purchase activity, and it will be interesting to see if housing data continues to surprise, or if today’s news was a “flier.” Meanwhile, leading indicators came in at plus 0.3%, also much better than the projection for a slide of 0.3%. This marked the first rise in leading indicators since June 2008.

The news was Dow-30-heavy this morning, with five of 30 Dow stocks making big news. In addition to the Pfizer takeover, arguably the biggest wave came from Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) as the maker of heavy equipment said that 2009 profits would shrink relative to 2008 and that the firm would slash some 20,000 jobs. Meanwhile, McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE:MCD) topped the profit forecast. Interestingly, even though the market was eager to embrace the Pfizer news, the potential breakup of the Dow Chemical/Rohm & Haas merger didn’t seem to phase investors.

Even though much of the early news today seemed soft (outside of the econ data), the market was holding together reasonably well. There was some thought that stocks were a little oversold following last week’s slide to the lowest weekly close since the November bear market lows were forged.

Looking at the chart picture, the market remains in a sideways consolidation range and bounce several times last week off dips toward 431 to 435. For today, important support will be at 435, then at 431; a breach of the latter could open . . .

Small-cap stocks remained slightly higher into midday trading as the market was on track to eclipse Wednesday’s tame affair as the new “sleepiest” market day of the season. The market was underpinned by gains for energy stocks, automakers and assorted commodity themes, which helped counter losses in financials, tech stocks, casinos, airlines and home entertainment software shares. At 12:27 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 1.58, or 0.33%, at 472.06.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) has been one of the more dynamic stocks so far today, and remained up nearly 14% at mid-session on news that the automaker’s financing arm has been granted bank holding status. This will allow GMAC LLC to access the Federal Reserve’s discount lending windows, which should help the firm stave off bankruptcy in these difficult times for carmakers. Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) was up 9%, getting spillover support from the GM rise.

Commodity stocks were faring well today, with energy shares leading the way. The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund was up about 1%, with crude oil climbing back above $36 a barrel on news that United Arab Emirates officials said they would trim output. There was a sizable rally in grains markets today, which were bolstered by dry weather in South America, the upside pop in energy and a soft tone in the U.S. dollar.

In tandem with the firm tone in commodities, the Brazilian stock market rose 1.7% today as the country is a major exporter of raw goods. Both mining companies and energy names were solid gainers within the Brazilian Bovespa Index on the Sao Paulo stock exchange.

Individual small caps on the rise today included Integral Systems Inc. (Nasdaq:ISYS), which gapped higher and was up 15% after the firm announced results of . . .

Chemgenex Pharm (Nasdaq:CXSP), LSB Corp (Nasdaq: LBSX) and Zumiez Inc (Nasdaq:ZUMZ) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.     

Also included among the results: Cato Corp (Nasdaq:CTR), Deltek Inc (Nasdaq:PROJ), RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp (Nasdaq:RXII), Princeton National Bancorp Inc (Nasdaq:PNBC), Micromet Inc (Nasdaq:MITI) and Torch Energy Royalty Trust (Nasdaq:TRU).   

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:    

Lime Energy Co (Nasdaq:LIME), Landrys Restaurants Inc (Nasdaq:LNY) and Motorcar Parts of America Inc (Nasdaq:MPAA) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Greenfield Online Inc (Nasdaq:SRVY), Sterling Financial Corp (Nasdaq:STSA), Tessera Technologies (Nasdaq:TSRA), RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp (Nasdaq:RXII), Novogen Ltd (Nasdaq:NVGN) and Comverge Inc (Nasdaq:COMV).

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp (Nasdaq:RXII), Aristotle Corp (Nasdaq:ARTL) and Wind River Systems Inc (Nasdaq:WIND) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

GMX Resources Inc (Nasdaq:GMXR), Sourcefire Inc (Nasdaq:FIRE) and Hi/fn Inc (Nasdaq:HIFN) are also among the biggest percentage gainers.

Here are the biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

Small-cap stocks are up slightly in Friday afternoon action, after dipping in the morning and then treading higher in midday trading. At 1:42 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 0.71, or 0.1%, at 746.26.

The Chicago Purchasing Manager’s Survey came in at 49.1, which was above the forecast at 48.5. Although the reading was slightly above expectations, it had only a muted impact on stock prices as the number was still below 50 for the fourth consecutive month.

Also, the Michigan sentiment survey came in at 59.8, just slightly above the forecast of 59.5, but still at 28-year lows.

Market sectors showing strength include metal mining, coal energy, iron and steel, gold and silver, and oil and gas operations. Sectors attracting sellers include school services, forestry and wood products, computer accessories, non-cyclical crops and tobacco.

Individual small caps on the move include RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp. (Nasdaq:RXII), which is up some 18% despite no fresh news. ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Nasdaq:CXSP) is similarly up 16%, also without any significant announcements. Sourcefire, Inc. (Nasdaq:FIRE) is getting a 15% boost after rejecting a buyout bid.

On the downside, Medical Action Industries (Nasdaq:MDCI) is diving 21% on earnings-related news. Sigma Designs Inc. (Nasdaq:SIGM) is tumbling about 18% after missing the sales forecast. WGNB Corp. (Nasdaq:WGNB) is falling 11% . . .