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The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) continued to alternate between up and down days, with today being a designated “down” day to the tune of -3.05%. Some of today’s small-cap gainers were Interwoven, Inc. (Nasdaq:IWOV), Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) and Columbus McKinnon (Nasdaq:CMCO).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Housing starts came in at the worst reading in history, sinking 15.5% in December to a unit rate of 550,000.
• The weekly claims report came in at 589,000 which was above the forecast of 553,000.
• The 4-week moving average for claims was at 519,250, up from 518,000 the previous week; the number of people filing for continuing claims was at 4.6M, up from 4.51M the previous week.
• The MBA Mortgage Application Index fell 9.8% this week, but it is still up 21.8% over year-ago levels. 
• Crude oil prices tumbled into the stock market opening, clearly rattled by the weak economic data and sloppy profit report from Microsoft.
• Losses in small caps were much deeper than for the big names, which reflects a “big is safer” mentality in play right now for investors. 
• Financial and energy shares were the primary sources of weakness today for stocks, while defensive plays like drug stocks lagged the overall market decline.
• Energy shares fell about 2.7% on the day, while the roller coaster world of bank stocks was down 5.9%.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Autonomy Corporation announced an agreement to acquire Interwoven, Inc.; IWOV shares closed 33% higher. See (Nasdaq:IWOV).
• Brinker International Inc. soared 32% after topping the profit forecast . . .

Small-cap stocks remained solidly lower into mid-session, pulled down by renewed worries over the economy and a dreary profit report from key firm Microsoft. The slide was relatively broad-based, with energy and financial companies taking a bit hit today. At 1:21 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 15.82, or 3.46%, at 440.94.

Small caps slipped down near 435 for the intraday low, so the bounce back up to 440 was a decent silver lining in today’s storm clouds. Still, the chart picture has rolled over into a bearish posture within the elongated sideways consolidation, which heightens the risk for a hard retest of the bear market bottom set back in November. It should be noted that there is very little convincing support below 440; so sustained action below that point would clear the way for a run down to the next big support level at 416. If the Russell can stage an afternoon bounce, resistance is at 450 and 453.50.

Looking at today’s sector activity, financial and bank stocks were once again getting drummed and tech stocks were struggling in the wake of Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq:MSFT) posting disappointing quarterly results ahead of schedule earlier this morning. Elsewhere on the S&P groups, insurance stocks, construction firms, motorcycle manufacturers and real estate investment trusts were attracting heavy selling interest. The only spots of strength were health-care providers, health-care facilities and retail drug stocks. Even in a bad economy, people need drugs and health care.

The market was able to meander along this week focused primarily on earnings reports, but today ushered in the first meaningful economic data of . . .

Small-cap stocks pushed higher Friday, gaining a boost from merger activity in the banking sector, a jump in restaurant shares and a lift from news of a rescue plan for automakers. All of those factors help offset sloppy action in commodities, and worries about retailer sales into a key shopping weekend. The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) closed up 7.09, or 1.48%, at 486.26 and is now down 37% for the year. Meanwhile, the Dow is off 35% for 2088 and the S&P 500 is down 40%.

Small caps were noticeably strong relative to large caps, fueled by M&A activity in the banking area. “I think that the M&T Bank Corp. (NYSE:MTB) purchase of Provident Bankshares Corp. (Nasdaq:PBKS) has caused investors to see value in small-cap banks and the purchase came at a nice premium,” Nick Kalivas, vice president of financial research with MF Global, said in an email interview. PBKS shares jumped 60% on the news.

Kalivas also said that positive profit news from restaurant operator Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE:DRI) provided a lift to the restaurant sector, which was reflected through impressive positive breadth in small-cap eateries. Small-cap restaurants on the move today included Cheesecake Factory Inc. (Nasdaq:CAKE) which jumped 12%; Brinker International Inc. (NYSE:EAT) up 29% as the firm completed a sale of the Macaroni Grill; The Steak n Shake Co. (NYSE:SNS), up 12%; and Papa Johns International Inc. (Nasdaq:PZZA) up 8%.

In addition, Kalivas said that the general atmosphere of cheaper gasoline and a mini-wave of refinancing activity provides a supportive element to the small-cap universe.

As for today’s quadruple witching expirations of stock index futures, options and single stock futures, Kalivas said that “pinning” action (which refers to . . .

Small-cap stocks extended the morning rally into midday trading, boosted by surging commodity stocks, which more than offset sloppy action among financial shares. At 12:30 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 10.47, or 2.25%, at 476.18, nearly double the percentage gains registered in the Dow. Small caps also outperformed in Europe today, with the FTSE Small Cap Index up 2%, while blue chip stocks were down 0.3%.

The top-performing sectors among S&P groups today were dominated by commodity companies. The top-performing group was coal, with gold stocks, oil and gas drillers, aluminum, metal and mining shares all posting impressive gains.

Within the commodities arena, crude oil prices jumped nearly $2.50 a barrel into mid-session despite a rise on weekly inventory data. The bounce in crude oil prices helped lift energy stocks, with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund up 4.8%.

But the story in commodities wasn’t relegated just to energy. The Commodity Research Bureau Index of 19 physical markets climbed 2.6% after washing out to multi-year lows late last week. Metals markets were in rally mode today, fueled not only by the push for commodities, but also be a big jump in mining stocks overnight on news that Rio Tinto would slash jobs, reduce capital spending and sale assets to raise cash. Rio Tinto shares on the NYSE were up 23% at midday. Copper mounted a bounce today, climbing nearly 4% in U.S. trading, which is important because copper has been lagging other moves in metals lately, which does not provide confirmation of an improving economic outlook.

On the automaker front, the White House said that the Bush administration and lawmakers had reached a “conceptual agreement” on the rescue plan for U.S. carmakers, which would include a “Car Czar” to oversee restructuring plans by General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) and Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F). GM was up almost 3%, while Ford was up about 1.2%. There are still concerns that Republicans could mount opposition to the bailout plan. The US House of Representatives met at 12:45 pm ET to hold an emergency meeting on the bill.

Despite the impressive rally underway for commodity stocks, the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund was down slightly at midday, and bank stocks . . .

Small-cap stocks extended the morning rally into midday trading, boosted by surging commodity stocks, which more than offset sloppy action among financial shares. Some of today’s small-cap gainers are American Land Lease Inc (NYSE:ANL), Atlas Pipeline Holdings LP (NYSE:AHD) and Thermadyne Holdings Corp.  (Nasdaq:THMD).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Copper, a key indicator of economic growth, mounted a bounce today, climbing nearly 4% in U.S. trading.  
• The bounce in crude oil prices helped lift energy stocks, with the Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund up 4.8%.  
• Crude oil prices jumped nearly $2.50 a barrel into mid-session despite a rise on weeKly inventory data.  
• The top-performing sectors were dominated by commodities: coal, gold, oil and gas drillers, aluminum, metal and mining shares are all up. 

Small Cap Gainers:

• American Land Lease Inc. is up 221% as the real estate investment trust agreed to a buyout for $14.20 a share, a 264% premium to Tuesday’s closing price. See (NYSE:ANL).
• Atlas Pipeline Holdings LP jumped 43% and appears set to close above the 20-day moving average for the first time since late September. See (NYSE:AHD).  
• Thermadyne Holdings Corp. surged 26% as the metal cutting and welding product maker benefited from the commodity rally. See (Nasdaq:THMD).  
• Brinker International Inc. rose 18% as the operator of Chili’s, Macaroni Grill and other restaurants continues to climb off the November lows. See (NYSE:EAT).  

Small Cap Losers:

• NOVA Chemicals Corp. is off 12%, setting fresh 52-week lows a day after the Canadian plastics manufacturer announced that the CEO would retire next spring. See (NYSE:NCX).
• ADC Telecommunications Inc. tumbled 15% after releasing quarterly results. See (Nasdaq:ADCT).  
• Arena down 12% in pre-market after insomnia drug candidate fails in study. See (Nasdaq:ARNA).  
• Metalico files shelf registration, shares down 2% in after hours. See (NYSE:MEA).

Small-cap stocks pushed higher on the opening but slipped briefly into negative territory as optimism over a new government plan to open credit facilities for mortgage assets and “consumer” loan assets was countered by soft economic reports. The credit news helped the market strive to look past a predictably weak GDP report and a report that said home price declines posted a record decline from year-ago levels. Some of today’s small-cap gainers are Life Time Fitness Inc. (NYSE:LTM), Futures Canada China Environment Inc. (Nasdaq:FCCE) and Nuance Communications (Nasdaq:NUAN).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Crude oil prices were off about $2 a barrel shortly after the stock market opening, absorbing a mild pullback off the big 9% surge Monday.  
• Treasury yields were taking a big downside hit even while the stock market was pointing toward a strongly higher open.  
• The Case-Shiller Home Price Index tumbled a record 17.4% from last year and the index was down 1.9% in September from the previous month.  
• The Fed and Treasury announced a new TAL, which will be granted initial funding of $20B via the original $700B in TARP money. 

Small Cap Gainers:

• Life Time Fitness Inc. rose 33%, gapping higher after plunging to 52-week lows Monday. See (NYSE:LTM).  
• Futures Canada China Environment Inc. jumped 33% on extremely light volume (only 1,000 shares). See (Nasdaq:FCCE).  
• Nuance Communications Q4 earnings beats Street view, shares up 12%. See (Nasdaq:NUAN).  
• Brinker International climbs over 10% after analyst upgrade company to "strong buy" froM "market perform." See (NYSE:EAT).

Small Cap Losers:

• Zale Corp. was down 25% as the jeweler reported a larger-than-expected loss. See (NYSE:ZLC). 
• SkillSoft dips 13% after guiding below fourth-quarter estimates. See (Nasdaq:SKIL).  
• Penson Worldwide down 9% on light volume in pre-market, following news it will expand its senior managment team. See (Nasdaq:PNSN).  
• United Natural Foods down 2% in pre-market after reporting a drop in Q1 profit. See (Nasdaq:UNFI).

The Russell staged a dramatic comeback at Friday’s closing, closing up a stunning 4.66%, and shooting nearly 12% off an intraday trough that marked the lowest point since August 2003. Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• In what will be forever remembered as a historic week for the stock market, small caps shed 15.6% in an unprecedented collapse this week.
• From a charting and index perspective, the late recovery move in stocks today was paced by small caps, which was an encouraging sign.
• If small caps start to show a leadership role in the coming days, it could be a sign that a bottom, or at least stabilization is nearby. 
• AMR Corp, Delta and Continental Airlines were among the most actively traded small caps today amid falling oil prices.
• Crude oil prices tumbled 10% today to fresh one-year lows.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Alaska Air Group (NYSE:ALK) closed up about 30% on momentum from the decline in energy prices, late day small-cap recovery moves.
• Ardea Biosciences Inc. (Nasdaq:RDEA) jumped some 39%, recovering from new move lows set Thursday.
• Material Sciences Corp. (NYSE:MSC) up 25.2% on slight increase in Q2 earnings reported Thursday.
• Willis Lease Finance (Nasdaq:WLFC) up 26% after $63M sale of 10 . . .

Small-cap stocks remained sharply lower into midday, down 4.05% and unable to sustain a morning rally for the third consecutive day. Market Watch highlights so far today include:

• When President Bush spoke this morning, small caps were off about 1.2% and the Dow was down about 80 points. The President made a surprisingly quick prepared remark, took no questions, and the began falling hard … within an hour after his appearance the Dow was down more than 350 points and small caps were off 4%.
• After multi-year highs a few months ago, cattle/hog prices are down on fears that meat consumption will suffer in a global recession.
• Gold/silver stocks and oil/energy stocks are the weakest sectors in today's trading. Footwear and retail home improvement are up fractionally. Gold is currently off 10%.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Audiovox (Nasdaq:VOXX) swings to Q2 loss. Shares of the electronic products distributor shoot up 16%.
• Union Bankshares (Nasdaq:UBSH) upgraded by Robert W. Baird; shares surge 17%.
• Stifel Nicolaus initiates coverage on Umpqua Holdings (Nasdaq:UMPQ) with a “hold” rating. Shares jump 21%.
• Airline small-cap UAL Corp. (Nasdaq:UAUA) announced Thursday it will lay off 414 mechanics; stock is currently up 8.4%.
• Private equity firm Prospect Capital (Nasdaq:PSEC) to repurchase up . . .