Tag - Gw

Although today usually marks one of the quietest trading weeks of the year, stocks ended overwhelmingly lower at closing, pulled down by shares of retailer, tech, automotive and energy companies. Some of today’s small-cap gainers are MAP Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:MAPP), Palm (Nasdaq:PALM) and Colony Bankcorp (Nasdaq:CBAN).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Automakers were finding out that the glow from Friday’s $13.4 billion dollar White House bailout had a short shelf-life among investors.
• Credit Suisse analysts lowered its rating on GM to “underperform” and cut their price target to $1.
• Despite the soft tone in equities, Treasury markets were relatively tame and actually were lower into the final hour of trading.
• Risk appetite on the equity side of things was also an issue today, with small caps noticeably underperforming large caps most of the day.
• Crude oil prices tumbled again today, pulled down by worries not just about the demand picture from the United States, but also from China.
• Crude oil prices lost almost 6% in U.S. trading, slipping back below $40 a barrel on the close. 

Small Cap Gainers:

• MAP Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:MAPP) closed up over 20% after announcing a worldwide collaboration with AstraZeneca to develop and commercialize a new drug.
• Palm (Nasdaq:PALM) gets $100 million investement, shares rallied . . .

Small-cap stocks started out what is traditionally one of the quietest weeks of the year in the stock market with a jolting decline as concerns about corporate profits and the slumping economy took a toll on retailer, tech stocks, automakers and energy shares. However, a late bounce off the worst levels of the day took some of the sting out of the decline. The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) closed down 11.19, or 2.30%, at 475.07.

Risk appetite on the equity side of things was also an issue today, with small caps noticeably underperforming large caps most of the day. Part of that might have been an adjustment off the nice rise last Friday and Tuesday for small-cap fare. Still, despite the soft tone in equities, Treasury markets were relatively tame and actually were lower into the final hour of trading, which suggests investors weren’t fleeing stocks for safe-havens, they were just worried about stocks in general.

A big part of that worry was likely tied to expectations for this year’s shopping season to be dismal. Last weekend was supposed to spark a final rush of last-minute holiday shopping, but dreadful weather in many locations probably kept shoppers huddled up indoors instead of at the stores. The International Council of Shopping Centers is anticipating holiday sales to drop as much as 1%, the largest decline since at least 1969, when the group started tracking data.

The U.S. economy is heavily dependent on consumer spending, but with the economy in recession all year and unemployment climbing to the highest levels in a generation, even steep discounts at the stores haven’t been able to save holiday cheer for retailers. The S&P Retail Index tumbled more than 4% today. As for small-cap shops on the move today, Charming Shoppes Inc. (Nasdaq:CHRS) collapsed 20%, basically giving back most of Friday’s dramatic surge. That theme of giving back . . .

Small-cap stocks pushed lower, pressured by concerns about corporate profits, worries about late holiday spending results and ongoing jitters about the economy and the credit crisis. Losses were limited by optimism about stimulus plans for 2009 and persistent bargain hunting from market watchers who believe the bottom has already been made.  Some of today’s small-cap gainers are Fuel Systems Solutions (Nasdaq:FSYS), American Capital Agency (Nasdaq:AGNC) and Flow International (Nasdaq:FLOW).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

•Even though chipmakers were higher in European trading, tech stocks were underperforming both the Dow and small caps.  
• Citigroup analysts said that they remain underweight on utilities, autos and real estate investment trusts.
• The greenback remained down against the euro, which could underpin various commodity markets today.  
• Copper prices rose 4% in London trading, bolstered by a dip in the U.S. dollar vs. the euro & by news of a jump in China imports during November.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Fuel Systems Solutions up 5.13% in pre-market after analysts initiate coverage on Friday of the small cap with a "buy." See (Nasdaq:FSYS).  
• American Capital Agency up 3% in pre-market after declaring a $1.20 Q4 dividend. See (Nasdaq:AGNC). 
• Flow International 2% higher today after an analyst last week upgraded the small cap from "buy" to "strong buy," citing new 10Q financial reports. See (Nasdaq:FLOW).  
• Rackspace Hosting Inc. opened higher on light volume after taking a big hit Friday. See (NYSE:RAX).  

Small Cap Losers:

• Grey Wolf Inc. gapped lower and tumbled 40% to 52-week lows. See (NYSE:GW).  
• Brown Shoe Company Inc. fell 10%, giving part of a huge rally from Friday. See (NYSE:BWS). 
• Accuray down 7% after swinging to a Q1 loss on Friday. See (Nasdaq:ARAY).
• Ruby Tuesday announces multiple store closures and $70 million anticipated loss in 2009; shares dip 4.4%. See (NYSE:RT).  

Small-cap stocks pushed lower, pressured by concerns about corporate profits, worries about late holiday spending results and ongoing jitters about the economy and the credit crisis. Losses were limited by optimism about stimulus plans for 2009 and persistent bargain hunting from market watchers who believe the bottom has already been made. At 9:54 a.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was down 6.42, or 1.32%, at 479.84.

Some early enthusiasm was tied to news that President-elect Obama will ramp up the job-creation goal of his stimulus package to 3 million new jobs from 2.5 million. The market is already hoping that Obama’s stimulus plans will help spark an economic recovery as 2009 progresses.

Walgreens (NYSE:WAG) posted a smaller-than-expected quarterly profit and announced plans to trim new store opening goals. WAG shares were off 4.1% shortly after the opening. It’s still early to get a good picture for shopping results in the United States over this past weekend, but with winter storms in the Midwest and Northeast, it might be difficult for retailers to come up with great results. Early this morning, the S&P Retail Index was down 0.5%.

Crude oil prices were choppy into the stock market open, but copper prices rose 4% in London trading, bolstered by a dip in the U.S. dollar against the euro and by news of a big jump in China imports during November. The greenback remained down against the euro, which could underpin various commodity markets today.

Citigroup analysts said that they remain underweight on utilities, autos and real estate investment trusts. Carmakers were a source of weakness for overseas markets . . .

Intersections Inc (Nasdaq:INTX), QC Holdings Inc (Nasdaq:QCCO) and Polypore International Inc (Nasdaq:PPO) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Wednesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $1 billion.

Also included among the results: CPI International Inc (Nasdaq:CPII), Grey Wolf Inc (Nasdaq:GW), America's Car-Mart Inc (Nasdaq:CRMT), Vitran Corp Inc (Nasdaq:VTNC), Insulet Corp (Nasdaq:PODD) and Kimball International Inc (Nasdaq:KBALB).

Small-cap stocks reversed course, putting a brief but sharp morning slide on awful economic data in the rear-view mirror as investors gobbled up homebuilding, retail and financial shares and set aside any economic worries stirred by sobering private employment and services sector activity reports.  Some of today’s small-cap gainers are Forest City Enterprises Inc. (Nasdaq:FCE.B), Grey Wolf Inc (NYSE:GW) and Orthofix Intl. (Nasdaq:OFIX).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Crude oil prices stabilized after weekly inventory reports showed a decline in crude oil stockpiles and a drop in refined products.  
• Obama: Automakers appear to be formulating “more serious” business models to help justify a government bailout of the ailing sector.  
• The ISE Homebuilders Index jumped 10% and small-cap homebuilders were among the best performers in the group.  
• The ability to rally after a bad reading on the ADP Employment Survey ahead of Friday’s big monthly employment report was a positive sign.


Small Cap Gainers:

• Forest City Enterprises Inc. jumped 26% as the commercial property firm benefited from the bounce in homebuilder and REITS. See (Nasdaq:FCE.B).  
• Grey Wolf Inc. rose 23% as the oil and gas driller announced a merger deal with Precision Drilling Trust. See (NYSE:GW).  
• Orthofix Intl. climbed 21% on news that a large owner in the firm is pushing for it to call a special shareholder meeting and sell a medical business unit, reduce corporate overhead. See (Nasdaq:OFIX).  
• Other small-cap homebuilders rallying today were Lennar Corp., which was up 8%, and KB Home, which soared 16%. See (NYSE:LEN) and (NYSE:KBH).

Small Cap Losers:

• Infineon Technologies sees a widened Q4 loss; shares careen 38%. See (NYSE:IFX).  
• IIVI Inc. was off 15% as the electronics and telecommunications manufacturing company revised guidance downward. See (Nasdaq:IIVI).  
• Alpha Natural Resources Inc. fell 14% as the coal miner revised guidance. See (NYSE:ANR).  
• Bucyrus sinks 7.4% in pre-market after completing its purchase of Czech firm, OKD Bastro. See (Nasdaq:BUCY). 

Small-cap stocks reversed course, putting a brief but sharp morning slide on awful economic data in the rear-view mirror as investors gobbled up homebuilding, retail and financial shares and set aside any economic worries stirred by sobering private employment and services sector activity reports. At 12:26 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 4.75, or 1.07% at 446.57.

Small caps were leading the way on the midday surge, which suggests that investors were willing to take on a more aggressive posture and not just sit on defensive, low-risk plays. Along that theme, yields on Treasury products were higher as demand clearly was more focused on riskier fare today.

The ability to rally in the face of a bad reading on the ADP Employment Survey ahead of Friday’s big monthly employment report was a positive sign for the market. In addition, the ISM non-manufacturing survey came in well below the forecast, showing the services sector of the economy is mired deep in recession.

Homebuilder stocks were in rally mode Tuesday and remained a hot item today. The ISE Homebuilders Index jumped 10% and small-cap homebuilders were among the best performers in the group. Centex Corp. (NYSE:CTX) was a star Tuesday and jumped another 12% today. Meanwhile, Lennar Corp. (NYSE:LEN) was up 8% and KB Home (NYSE:KBH) soared 16%. Homebuilder shares appear to be attracting bargain hunters amid sentiment that the government’s new focus on lowering long-term and mortgage rates will spur renewed activity in the housing sector and generate fresh refinancing at lower interest rates. President-elect Obama said today that homeowners inability to pay mortgages is a key part of the recession.

Obama also said that automakers appear to be formulating “more serious” business models to help justify a government bailout of the ailing sector. Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) was up 5%, but General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) was down . . .

After Wall Street’s steep slide on Monday due to the failed $700 billion bailout proposal, stocks rebounded this morning on speculation that the plan is still salvageable.

The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was a hair in the green, up 3.26, or 0.50%, at 660.98, while the Dow gained about 2% on the opening and the S&P 500 rose 2.2%.

Legislators are currently working to assuage investor anxiety and hope to pass a revised version of the bailout plan later this week. On Monday, small-cap stocks posted their largest one-day decline of 2008 and closed down near 7%, as fears of a global financial pandemic triggered waves of selling after Congress voted down the $700 billion rescue bill.

In small-cap news, network specialist Ciena Corporation (Nasdaq:CIEN) is up 1.88 at $9.73, following news before the opening of a deal with optical fiber network provider American Fiber Systems.

Grey Wolf, Inc. (AMEX:GW) this morning said the Federal Trade Commission has completed its review of the company’s proposed acquisition of Precision Drilling Trust.  The merger is still subject to other regulatory approvals as well as approval by Grey Wolf shareholders. Earlier in the morning it was reported that CIBC World Markets downgraded the provider of contract oil and gas land drilling services to “sector perform” from “sector outperform.” Shares were up 5.48%, or $0.40, at $7.70.