Tag - Amb

Small-cap stocks continued to grind higher into midday, with energy, real estate trusts and financial shares showing the way. A recovery bounce in crude oil and oversold conditions on energy stocks sparked money flow into that arena and provided a lift to the overall market. Some of today’s small-cap gainers were Developers Diversified Realty Corp.  (NYSE:DDR), BigBand Networks Inc. (Nasdaq:BBND) and Union Drilling Inc. (Nasdaq:UDRL).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Bernanke said this morning that TARP funds should be directed toward toxic mortgage-backed assets, relieving many traders.  
• On the commodities scene, gold climbed and copper reversed a big overnight decline in Asia to trend higher.
• Energy stocks appeared to get a lift from a recovery rally in crude oil futures, which reversed a $1 per barrel decline in overnight trading.  
• The worst performers were electronic component makers, aluminum stocks, tire companies, industrial conglomerates and auto manufacturers

Small Cap Gainers:

• Small-cap REIT Developers Diversified Realty Corp. soared 18% as the shopping center management firm recovered from steep losses Monday. See (NYSE:DDR).
• BigBand Networks Inc. rallied 17% as investors appeared to be taking a stab that the video networking solutions firm will announce decent earnings Thursday afternoon. See (Nasdaq:BBND).  
• Among the various energy companies in rally mode today, natural gas firm Union Drilling Inc. was up 13%. See (Nasdaq:UDRL).

Small Cap Losers:

• Cepheid gapped lower and fell 18% gene analysis firm reported earnings that didn’t match up with investor expectations. See (Nasdaq:CPHD).  
• Prestige Brands lowers guidance; stock slumps over 13%. See (NYSE:PBH).   
• AMB Property Corp. slipped 8% as the firm made some dividend announcements. See (NYSE:AMB).  
• Liz Claiborne lowers view, inks credit amendment; stock slides 4%. See (NYSE:LIZ).  

Small-cap stocks edged slightly lower on the open, pulled down by declines in overseas markets but a bounce in crude oil prices into the stock market opening helped limit selling interest, as did Federal Reserve comments on the TARP.  Some of today’s small-cap gainers were ZymoGenetics (Nasdaq:ZGEN), Lexington Realty Trust (NYSE:LXP) and Symmetry Medical Inc. (NYSE:SMA).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Europe stocks were down about 2%, while Asian equities were off about 3%, with mining, energy, telecom, bank and tech stocks taking a hit.  
• In overseas trading, European and Asian markets appeared to be “catching up” with the slide Monday in U.S. equities.  
• Crude oil prices were down about $1 a barrel overnight, but rallied back into positive territory just ahead of the stock market open today.  
• The international trade report showed that the U.S. deficit narrowed by 28.7% in November, which marked the largest contraction in 12 years.  

Small Cap Gainers:

• Bristol-Myers buys ZymoGenetics’ experimental Hepatitis C drug; shares of ZymoGenetics pop 53% in pre-market. See (Nasdaq:ZGEN).
• Lexington Realty Trust rose 14%, essentially recovering Monday’s big decline. See (NYSE:LXP).  
• Symmetry Medical Inc. climbed 13% as the medical implant firm tried to rally after sinking to the lowest daily close in more than a year on Monday. See (NYSE:SMA).
• InterOil Corp. rose 12% as the firm updated drilling progress on a reservoir in Papua, New Guinea. See (NYSE:IOC).  

Small Cap Losers:

• Cepheid gapped lower and fell 18% gene analysis firm reported earnings that didn’t match up with investor expectations. See (Nasdaq:CPHD).  
• Prestige Brands lowers guidance; stock slumps over 13%. See (NYSE:PBH).   
• AMB Property Corp. slipped 8% as the firm made some dividend announcements. See (NYSE:AMB).  

Small-cap stocks edged slightly lower on the open, pulled down by declines in overseas markets but a bounce in crude oil prices into the stock market opening helped limit selling interest, as did Federal Reserve comments on the TARP. At 9:54 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 3.79, or 0.81%, at 472.58.

The market appeared to slip initially, then stage a recovery move during the first speech of the year by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who was speaking ahead of the open this morning in London. Bernanke said that financial stress has spilled over into the global economy and that the timing of a recovery remains “uncertain.” He also said that the government should mop up some of the toxic assets that supposedly were the initial focus of the TARP, which appeared to stir the recovery pop off pre-market lows.

The international trade report showed that the U.S. deficit narrowed by 28.7% in November, which marked the largest contraction in 12 years. However, the narrowing of the trade gap wasn’t because U.S. manufacturers suddenly sold a bunch more widgets, it was because of weak demand for import goods and sinking energy prices. In all, the November import number collapsed 12%, which was a record decline.

Crude oil prices were down about $1 a barrel overnight, but rallied back into positive territory just ahead of the stock market open today, which might have helped the early action in energy and commodity stocks. Shortly after the open, crude oil prices were up about $0.70 a barrel. Copper futures touched limit losses of 5% in China trading overnight, which is a troubling sign for the economy as copper is seen as a key barometer of industrial and construction demand. China imports and exports were down in the latest report, which also sends shivers about global growth . . .