Tag - TRBN

Small caps are taking a beating in Friday’s mid-session trading, as crude oil prices surged and credit jitters prompted a broad sell-off in the financial sector. At 12:04 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 10.85, or 1.47%, at 726.98.

Small-cap investors tried to rally in the third hour of trading but met resistance at the 730 notch. After the brief resurgence, the small-cap slide is continuing into the afternoon session.

Merrill Lynch (NYSE:MER) started off the selling frenzy after cutting its estimates for regional banks. Rival investment banks Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) were both in the red in midday trading as well. MER is down 3.9%, GS has fallen about 1% and JPM is off 0.4%.

Crude oil futures have rebounded from the largest one-day decline in about three months. In recent trading, crude has climbed $3.29 to $135.22 a barrel. The rebound in crude prices was accompanied by a falling U.S. dollar, which is down against both the euro and the yen.

Broad market sectors attracting sellers today were airlines, computer storage devices, plastics and rubber, casinos, auto and truck manufacturers, audio and video equipment and computer peripherals. Sectors on the upside included school services, savings and loans banks, gold and silver and oil well services and equipment companies.

Small-cap stocks took a dive on the opening, pulled under water by yet another selling flurry in the financial sector, a recovery bounce in crude oil, declines overnight on international equities and safe-haven flow out of stocks into bonds. At 10:10 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 12.96, or 1.76%, at 724.87.

This morning’s whipping post for the financials was Merrill Lynch (NYSE:MER) and shares in the investment banking firm were down 5.2% shortly after the opening. The market seems to be rotating around various financial stocks, but the whole group is also being punished as investors shy away from the group amid the ongoing credit crunch. Rival investment banks Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) and JP Morgan (NYSE:JPM) were both in the red early today as well. Ironically, even as Merrill is a target for the bears this morning, their own analysts issued bearish news on several banks, forecasting dividend cuts and lowering price targets. Wachovia (NYSE:WB) was off 5% and Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) was down 4%.

During Thursday’s session, crude oil futures offered an olive branch to stock market bulls via the largest one-day slide in about three months, but the market for black gold rallied back some overnight, climbing above $136 dollars a barrel heading toward the U.S. stock market opening. There was some talk once again about Israel planning a strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities; those rumors were in the news back on June 6 when crude oil jumped.

The stiff bounce in crude oil was accompanied by a sinking U.S. dollar, which lost 0.7% against the euro and about 0.5% versus the yen. The sinking dollar also could support a wide range of other commodity markets heading into the weekend.

Stock markets around the world were on the defensive overnight, with Japan down 1.3%, Taiwan off 1.8%, Australia down 1.4%, India down 3.4%, Hong Kong down 0.2%, South Korea down 0.6%. China shares did bounce 2.7%, but that . . .

MAKO Surgical Corp. (Nasdaq:MAKO), Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:TRBN) and Orchard Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:ORCD) are among the biggest percentage losers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

Community National Bank of Lakeway Area (Nasdaq:CNLA), TF Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:THRD) and MCG Capital Corp. (Nasdaq:MCGC) are also among the top small-cap percentage losers.

Here are today's biggest percentage losers:

Arrhythmia Research Technology, Inc. (AMEX:HRT), Fairpoint Communications, Inc. (NYSE:FRP) and VCG Holding Corp. (Nasdaq:VCGH) are among the biggest percentage losers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

JER Investors Trust Inc. (NYSE:JRT), Trubion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:TRBN) and US BioEnergy Corp. (Nasdaq:USBE) are also among the top small-cap percentage losers.

Here are today's biggest percentage losers:

The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) declined as news of an emergency sale of Bear Stearns spread fears of financial turmoil. The small-cap index fell 12.42 points, or 1.87%, to 650.48. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) gained 21.16 points, or 0.18%, to 11,972.25.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has shed 15.08%, while the Dow is down 9.74% and the S&P 500 has retreated 13.06%.

Stocks small and large opened significantly lower on news that investment bank JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) has purchased Bear Stearns (NYSE:BSC) for just $2 per share, according to an announcement on Sunday.

The buyout was unprecedented, as the U.S. Federal Reserve gave JPMorgan $30 billion in special financing to complete the deal and prevent further financial turmoil. Shares of Bear Stearns were worth over $170 a year ago, but the company was heavily involved in securities backed by subprime mortgages and was dealt a lethal blow by the housing downturn.

The Fed also lowered its discount rate, the rate at which it lends funds to commercial banks, to 3.25% from 3.50%. The central bank will hold a regularly scheduled policy meeting on Tuesday, with investors expecting a steep cut in its target federal funds rate.

PVF Capital Corp. (Nasdaq: PVFC), SeaBright Insurance Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SEAB) and Semitool, Inc. (Nasdaq: SMTL) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $500 million.

Here are today's biggest percentage gainers:

Laboratory products maker Kewaunee Scientific Corp. (Nasdaq: KEQU) reported a profit of $0.51 million, or $0.21 per share, for the fourth quarter ended April 30, compared with a loss of $0.25 million, or $0.11 per share, in the same period ended of 2006

A group of investors – including the firm HBK Investments LP - reported a 9.5% ownership in The Steak n Shake Co. (NYSE: SNS) in an SEC document filed after Monday’s closing bell.

Hoku Scientific, Inc. (Nasdaq: HOKU) shares are up more than 133.5% since June 13. The reason for the rise is unclear, but a Cowen and Co. analyst believes institutional investors are buying shares after the company’s market capitalization broke $100 million following last Wednesday’s announcement of a seven-year deal with the German solar panel maker Solar-Fabrik AG.

American Software, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMSWA) reported revenue of $22.5 million, or $0.11 per share, for the fourth quarter ended April 30, compared with revenue of $20.46 million, or $0.05 per share, in the same quarter a year earlier.

Identification technology company Intelli-Check, Inc. (AMEX: IDN) executives tried to assuage investors concerned for the company’s wellbeing after its 73-year-old CEO Frank Mandelbaum passed away on June 7. In a press release, Intelli-Check said the management transition since Mandelbaum’s death has been “orderly and the company is positioned to pursue its growth strategy.”

These are the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday’s trading among companies with market capitalizations under $500 million:

Chinese phone maker and distributor Qiao Xing Universal Telephone Inc. (Nasdaq: XING) said Wednesday that will need more time to file its 2006 annual report on account of “accounting matters.”

Franklin Bank Corp. (Nasdaq: FBTX) announced it will sell $23.3 million of its common stock at $15.70 per share to a group of investors as well as its officers, employees and directors.

Law firm Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP filed a class action suit on behalf of an institutional investor against Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: NBIX) today.

These are the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $500 million: