Tag - Bzc

Small-cap shares pushed higher shortly after the opening, underpinned by decent earnings news and a lack of follow through on the safe-haven trade that dominated action Tuesday. At 10:01 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 3.32, or 0.45%, at 738.97.

The fact that stocks were able to look past yet another record high in crude oil prices was impressive, as most of the overnight news was tilted toward the bearish angle for equities. Crude oil prices climbed past $130 dollars a barrel, but it appeared that move had already been priced into the “fear” quotient during Tuesday’s decline.

In addition to the rally in crude oil, the U.S. dollar took a hit overnight, sinking about 0.7% versus the euro, and 0.3% against the yen. The greenback did appear to trim those losses when the stock market edged higher after the open.

The market has very much been tied to investment flows of late, and there is some thought that the market is underinvested in stocks with huge cash on the sideline. As that cash starts to chase the rally off the March lows, it could be enough to power the market higher, but it’s a tenuous play given strapped discretionary spending for consumers. Days of extremely light volume suggest that the sideline players . . .

Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (NYSE: BBW) cut its second-quarter guidance to between $0.07 and $0.10 per share, down from between $0.15 and $0.19 per share. The St. Louis-based company cut its view because of less-than-expected sales over the last two months.

Terremark Worldwide, Inc. (Nasdaq: TMRK) delayed filing its annual report with the SEC, citing delays in collection and compilation of certain financial information.

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

Solar cell maker Amtech Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASYS) reported it has received $16.5 million in orders from Asia.

Urstadt Biddle Properties Inc. (NYSE: UBA) declared quarterly dividends of $0.23 for class A common stock and $0.20 for regular common stock. The dividends are payable on July 20.

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

The Russell 2000 index is gaining after two days of declines on news that retail sales in May increased more than expected.
 
At 10:06 a.m. ET the Russell 2000 was up 2.85 points, or 0.35 percent, to 824.57. Dow Jones Industrial Average had added 56.87 points, or 0.43 percent, to 13,351.88.

U.S. retail sales rose 1.4% in May, the Commerce Department reported before the opening bell. That’s more than twice the expected increase of 0.6% and a sign that the economy may be shifting into higher gear. Retail sales fell 0.1% in April.

However, May import prices also outpaced projections, rising 0.9%, the U.S. Labor Department.

The following were the most actively traded companies in Wednesday's trading among those with market capitalizations under $500 million: