Tag - VOL

Hooker Furniture Corp. (Nasdaq:HOFT), Old Second Bancorp Inc. (Nasdaq:OSBC) and Citi Trends Inc. (Nasdaq:CTRN) are among the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Pantry Inc. (Nasdaq:PTRY), Neutral Tandem Inc. (Nasdaq:TNDM), Skilled Healthcare Group Inc. (Nasdaq:SKH), AirTran Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:AAI), Flexsteel Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:FLXS) and Volt Information Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq:VOL).

Osiris Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq:OSIR), Volt Information Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq:VOL) and McGrath Rent Corp. (Nasdaq:MGRC) are among the biggest percentage losers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Syms Corp. (Nasdaq:SYMS), Zoltek Companies Inc. (Nasdaq:ZOLT), OYO Geospace Corp. (Nasdaq:OYOG), Basic Energy Services Inc. (Nasdaq:BAS), Independence Holding Co. (Nasdaq:IHC) and Digi International Inc. (Nasdaq:DGII).

ICT Group Inc (Nasdaq:ICTG), SI Financial Group Inc (Nasdaq:SIFI) and Omniture Inc (Nasdaq:OMTR) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Friday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: AnnTaylor Stores Corp (Nasdaq:ANN), Volt Information Sciences Inc (Nasdaq:VOL), Westwood Holdings Group Inc (Nasdaq:WHG), Signet Jewelers (Nasdaq:SIG), Brooks Automation Inc (Nasdaq:BRKS) and DineEquity Inc (Nasdaq:DIN).

The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) rose higher at closing, outpacing many large-cap indices that slumped on weak financial and energy stocks. Some of today’s small-cap gainers were Integrated Electrical Services (Nasdaq:IESC), Blyth (NYSE:BTH) and Volt Information (NYSE:VOL).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• The personal income data came in at minus 0.2%, which was slightly below the forecast for a decline of 0.3%.
• For the year, personal income was up 3.7%, which marked the smallest rise since 2003. 
• The ISM Manufacturing Survey came in at 35.6, which was a little better than the projection of 33, but still historically low.
• For the year, the Russell is down 9.9%, while the Dow is off 9.5% and the S&P 500 is down 8.6%.
• The tech-laden Nasdaq 100 advanced 1.3% on the day, with semiconductor stocks, systems software manufacturers and telecoms leading the way.
• It was interesting to see small caps diverge away from energy stocks today, as the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund fell 1.6%.
• More often than not, small caps tend to track energy trends fairly closely, partly because of all the small-cap energy firms in play.
• The U.S. dollar started out the day higher against the euro, but gave back those gains by the close. 

Small Cap Gainers:

• Integrated Electrical Services Inc. jumped 26% ahead of earnings news slated to come after Monday’s close. See (Nasdaq:IESC).
• Blyth Inc. staged an impressive bullish key reversal by making new lows for the move then storming higher on unusually brisk volume. The home fragrance . . .

Small-cap stocks closed higher, navigating through a cross-current of worry about profits and the recession versus bargains in the technology arena. Slumping energy stocks and weak financials kept the Dow and S&P 500 on the defensive today, but the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) rose 6.09, or 1.37%, at 449.61. For the year, the Russell is down 9.9%, while the Dow is off 9.5% and the S&P 500 is down 8.6%.

The tech-laden Nasdaq 100 advanced 1.3% on the day, with semiconductor stocks, systems software manufacturers and telecoms leading the way. Whenever the tech stocks markedly pace a move in equities, it always stirs talk that those firms will be better positioned to shoot higher when the economy recovers. From a market observation perspective, it would be healthy here to see small caps start to lead the way up on rallies versus the Dow, because it would suggest that investors are willing to take on more risk and not simply parking money in the big-name big-cap defensive stocks. Small caps led the way up during the bull market from 2002 to 2007, and they have been battered relative to large caps so far in 2009, which doesn’t help the bottoming argument.

This morning’s ISM Manufacturing Survey showed a smaller-than-expected pullback in the manufacturing sector, but the number was still consistent with a deep recession. The stock market bounced off the morning lows on the number, but it was still difficult to embrace the ISM report as a harbinger of better times to come. Ahead of the ISM report earlier today, the personal income release reflected a severe pullback in spending, which isn’t a surprise, but which always is a concern to the U.S. economy, which is so dependent on consumer spending for growth. Looking ahead to Tuesday’s session, the market will get vehicle sales, but no other fresh economic data of note.

It was interesting to see small caps diverge away from energy stocks today, as the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund fell 1.6%. More often than not, small caps tend to track energy trends fairly closely, partly because of all the small-cap energy firms in play, and also because energy prices often set the tone for commodities, which also are well represented in small-cap indices. From an energy perspective, . . .

Small-cap stocks turned higher in choppy trade into midday, with pressure from soft energy and financial shares countered by gains in retail and technology stocks. Some of today’s small-cap gainers were Blyth Inc. (NYSE:BTH), Volt Information Science Inc. (NYSE:VOL) and Preformed Line Products Co. (Nasdaq:PLPC).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Energy stocks were among the worst performers so far today, with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund off 2%.  
• The yield on benchmark 10-year notes, which moves inverse to price, was down 2.6% as demand was solid for credit instruments.  
• Treasury markets continued to rise through mid-session trading, which may have siphoned some money away from equities.   
• Small caps turned higher in choppy trade into midday, with pressure from soft energy and financial shares countered by gains in retail and technology stocks.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Blyth Inc. jumped 29% on unusually heavy volume, recovering nicely from news lows set late last week after the home fragrance and home décor firm announced a reverse stock split. See (NYSE:BTH).  
• Volt Information Science Inc. rose 21% recovering from a wild up and down session Friday in conjunction with earnings news. See (NYSE:VOL). 
• Preformed Line Products Co. was up 18% without any apparent fresh news, as the network line maintenance company mounted a big bounce off move lows forged last week. See (Nasdaq:PLPC).  
• Inter Parfums Inc. was up 7.4% after a rocky few days of trading surrounding earnings results from late January. See (Nasdaq:IPAR). 

Small Cap Losers:

• Las Vegas Sands Corp. tumbles 12% after naming Bradley Stone as president of global operations and construction See (NYSE:LVS).  
• Signet Jewelers Ltd. tumbled 14% as the specialty jewelry retailer fell to new 52-week lows. See (NYSE:SIG). 

Small-cap stocks turned higher in choppy trade into midday, with pressure from soft energy and financial shares countered by gains in retail and technology stocks. At 12:39 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 2.96, or 0.67%, at 446.48.

Treasury markets continued to rise through mid-session trading, which may have siphoned some money away from equities. The yield on benchmark 10-year notes, which moves inverse to price, was down 2.6% as demand was solid for credit instruments.

Energy stocks were among the worst performers so far today, with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund off 2% as crude oil prices edged lower amid concern about demand from not just the United States, but also major energy customers around the world.

Looking at S&P groups so far today, the best performers were health care, food distributors, systems software firms, department stores, Internet retail, Internet software services, semiconductor companies and homebuilders. After a rough go in recent days, the ISE Homebuilder Index was up about 1.4% at midday with small-cap homebuilder Meritage Homes Corp. (NYSE:MTH) up 5.8%.

Small-cap retailers making positive noise today included Inter Parfums Inc. (Nasdaq:IPAR), as the cosmetics firm was up 7.4% after a rocky few days of trading surrounding earnings results from late January.

Some negative sentiment continues to be attached to concerns that progress on the “bad bank” concept appears to have stalled and also by worries that passage of a big stimulus package could take longer than originally expected.

Individual small caps making a move today include Blyth Inc. (NYSE:BTH), which jumped 29% on unusually heavy volume, recovering nicely from news lows set late last week after the home fragrance and home décor firm announced a reverse stock split. Volt Information Science Inc. (NYSE:VOL) rose 21% recovering from a wild up and down session Friday in conjunction with earnings news. Preformed Line Products Co. (Nasdaq:PLPC) was up 18% without any apparent fresh news, as the network line maintenance company mounted a big bounce off move lows forged last . . .

Blyth Inc. (Nasdaq:BTH), Volt Information Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq:VOL) and Preformed Line Products Co. (Nasdaq:PLPC) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: 3D Systems Corp. (Nasdaq:TDSC), Integrated Electrical Services Inc. (Nasdaq:IESC), Encore Bancshares Inc. (Nasdaq:EBTX), Omega Flex Inc. (Nasdaq:OFLX), First Advantage Corp. (Nasdaq:FADV) and Lincoln Educational Services Corp. (Nasdaq:LINC).

Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:CCO), WHX Corp. (Nasdaq:WXCO) and Savient Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:SVNT) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Meritage Homes Corp. (Nasdaq:MTH), Volt Information Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq:VOL), Retalix Ltd. (Nasdaq:RTLX), Bottomline Technologies  Inc. (Nasdaq:EPAY), John Bean Technologies Corp (Nasdaq:JBT) and Saia Inc. (Nasdaq:SAIA).

Brown Shoe Company Inc. (Nasdaq:BWS), Bowne & Co Inc. (Nasdaq:BNE) and Worthington Industries Inc. (Nasdaq:WOR) are among the biggest percentage losers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Volt Information Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq:VOL), Jones Apparel Group Inc. (Nasdaq:JNY), Goodrich Petroleum Corp. (Nasdaq:GDP), Rex Stores Corp. (Nasdaq:RSC), CPI International Inc. (Nasdaq:CPII) and Outdoor Channel Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq:OUTD).

Spectranetics Corp. (Nasdaq:SPNC), Volt Information Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq:VOL) and Blyth Inc. (Nasdaq:BTH) are among the biggest percentage losers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: Opnext Inc. (Nasdaq:OPXT), Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq:HOV), Houston American Energy Corp. (Nasdaq:HUSA), Acme Packet Inc. (Nasdaq:APKT), Northern Oil and Gas Inc. (Nasdaq:NOG) and Diamond Management & Technology Consultants Inc. (Nasdaq:DTPI).

Here are the biggest percentage losers among small caps:

Small-cap shares hovered near steady levels, trimming away opening losses tied to ongoing concerns in the financial sector amid reports that banks and brokerages need to raise capital. Another slip in crude oil prices likely muted selling interest in equities. At 10:05 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was off 0.66, or 0.09%, at 738.35.

Lehman Bros. (NYSE:LEH) remains at the eye of the latest financial storm, and was trading down 3.4% shortly after the open after tumbling 9.4% Tuesday on persistent talk that the brokerage firm would need to raise capital to shore up the balance sheet. The banking concerns were fanned overnight when ratings agency Fitch said that a couple of large French banks needed to raise capital. The European stock market took a hit on those concerns, losing about 2% heading toward the U.S. open.

The market navigated through a series of economic data this morning, with the final report from the ISM Non-Manufacturing Survey coming out at 10:00 a.m. ET. The ISM data came in at 51.7%, which was above the 51% forecast. There was a brief upside pop on the ISM release, but it didn’t appear to hold trader attention for long.

Earlier today, the ADP private employment survey showed a surprise rise in new jobs in May, which tugged stocks off overnight lows at the time, but had little staying power into the morning trade. In addition to ADP payrolls, the market saw a productivity report that came in just above the forecast at 2.6%, and an MBA mortgage application index that was at six-year lows. The trading shelf life on all of these data releases was collectively short. Later this afternoon near 2:00 p.m. ET, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak at Harvard, but his speech topic is titled “Economic Challenges: 1975 and Now” and he’s not taking questions, so it’s unlikely his appearance will stir the market. That said, foreign exchange markets were still buzzing about his rare direct comments on the dollar from Tuesday, which sparked a rally in the greenback.

The opening slide in stocks took place in the face of soft crude oil prices, which shows that the market does have more on its mind right now than just the energy market. Crude oil prices slipped $124 dollars a barrel overnight, pressured by news that India and Malaysia raised fuel prices, which could crimp demand out of Asia. The weekly oil inventory data should come out around 10:35 a.m. ET, which could spark a . . .

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) is in positive territory late in the session. At 3:01 p.m. ET, the small-cap index had climbed 4.03 points, or 0.53%, to 760.16. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) was up 11.79 points, or 0.09%, to 13,219.06.

The bears and the bulls are engaged in battle as investors struggle to make sense of news that suggests U.S. economic growth is slowing down.

Trading began with news that the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 4.9% during the third quarter, according to final figures released by the Commerce Department. The economy grew 3.8% in the second quarter.

But investors didn’t cheer too much, as it’s widely expected that economic growth will slow down in the fourth quarter of 2007 and into the first half of 2008.

Employment numbers released before the opening confirm forecasts of a slower fourth quarter.

The U.S. Labor Department reported that jobless claims for the week ended Dec. 15 increased 12,000 to 346,000 from a level of 334,000 in the preceding week. The rise is greater than projected and a sign that the labor market is cooling, which is consistent with a decline in economic growth.

Here are the current biggest percentage gainers and losers among companies with a market cap between $100 million and $750 million:

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) and the other major U.S. indices are rising despite generally bearish economic and financial news.
 
At 10:45 a.m. ET, the small-cap index was up 2.14 points, or 0.28%, to 758.27. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) had climbed 20.49 points, or 0.16%, to 13,227.76.

The day began with news before the start of trading that the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 4.9% during the third quarter, according to final figures released by the Commerce Department. The economy grew 3.8% in the second quarter.

The third-quarter growth was the fastest pace in four years, but many economists projected that growth will slow down markedly in the fourth quarter and into the first half of 2008 as the credit squeeze and falling home prices take their toll.

As the economy slows, the labor market will probably cool. Statistics released before the opening confirm this.

The U.S. Labor Department said that jobless claims for the week ended Dec. 15 increased 12,000 to 346,000 from an upwardly revised level of 334,000 in the preceding week. The rise is greater than projected.

The four-week moving average, considered a more stable measure, showed an increase of 4,250 to 343,000. The level a week earlier was 338,750.

Elsewhere, investment bank Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC) reported a quarterly loss of $854 million, or $6.90 per share, compared with net income of $563 million, or $4.00 per share, a year earlier.

The New York-based company was one of the first to feel the pain of the meltdown in the subprime mortgage sector when two of its investment funds went belly-up this summer.

Local.com Corp. (Nasdaq: LOCM) reported that it was granted a patent for cell phone-enabled local search. The patent also covers several advertising models associated with the search format.

The founder of Israel-based intimate apparel and socks maker Delta Galil Industries (Nasdaq: DELT) announced he is selling his shares and transferring control of the company to the vice chairman of the board. CEO and Founder Dov Lautman is selling 2.5 million shares to GMM Capital LLC, which is controlled by Delta Galil’s vice chairman Isaac Dabah.

Telecommunications company North Pittsburgh Systems (Nasdaq: NPSI) is being acquired by Consolidated Communications Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: CNSL) for $375 million in a cash and stock deal.

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