Tag - Inod

Today was a near flat day, with most indices eking out a close in the green a day after Citigroup (NYSE:C) reported that it is still operating at a profit. Some of today’s small-cap gainers were YRC Worldwide (Nasdaq:YRCW), Axsys Technologies (Nasdaq:AXYS) and Innodata Isogen (Nasdaq:INOD).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Stocks navigated choppy trading Wednesday, with the Russell 2000 closing down 1.48, or 0.4%, to 366.27. The Dow closed up 0.05% to 6,929.76, and the S&P 500 closed up 0.24% to 721.35.
• For the year, the Russell is down 26.67%, the Dow is down 21.03% and the S&P 500 is down 20.14%.
• Analysts are warning that the rally seen Tuesday and part of today willl be short-lived due to deep problems etched within the banking industry.
• Oil prices fell more than 7% today as U.S. inventories swelled with surplus crude and traders started to doubt whether OPEC would cut production further.
• Lower tax revenue and massive government spending on the bank bailout pushed the federal deficit to $765 billion in the first five months of the budget year.

Small Cap Gainers:

• YRC Worldwide stock jumped 44.5% on expectations of an improved second quarter for the company. See (Nasdaq:YRCW).
• Axsys Technologies, a manufacturer of defense surveillance and imaging systems, closed up 32.48% after the small cap put itself up for sale in an auction that drew a first round of bids earlier this week. See (Nasdaq:AXYS).
• Innodata Isogen reported a second straight year of record revenue; shares rose 21%. See (Nasdaq:INOD). 

Small Cap Losers:

• NCI Building closed down 38% after posting a Q1 net loss on Tuesday. See (NYSE:NCS).
• WSP Holdings issued FY 2009 guidance below analysts' estimates, sending shares 35% lower. See (NYSE:WH). 
• Online travel website Orbitz tumbled 26% as competitor Expedia waived flight booking fees. See (NYSE:OWW).

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) and the other major U.S. indices declined in the final minutes of trading as investors got nervous ahead Thursday’s inflation data. The small-cap index lost 6.72 points, or 0.85%, to 782.43. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) fell 83.16 points, or 0.62%, to 13,223.93.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has retreated 0.63%, while the Dow has risen 6.01% and the S&P 500 has added 3.81%.

Stocks began the day little changed on news that U.S. retail sales growth slowed to 0.2% in October, following an upwardly revised increase of 0.7% in September. The result was in line with economists’ projections but indicates that consumers have become a little more reluctant to spend money due to declining home values and higher gasoline prices.

Most economists expect that fourth-quarter economic growth will shift into lower gear. Consumption is about 70% of gross domestic product.

News on the inflation front was rosier. The U.S. Labor Department reported that the producer price index added a miniscule 0.1% in October, after a jump of 1.1% in September. The core index, which excludes food and energy, stayed put after rising 0.1% the previous month.

Economists were expecting both measurements to rise 0.2%. Producer prices measure the average changes in prices received by domestic producers for their output.

Small-cap stocks moved up out of the gate but then moderated and generally stayed just below the closing level today, while the Dow was trending higher. But the bulls lost their footing within minutes of the closing, when investors apparently adopted a cautious posture ahead of Thursday’s inflation data.

The Labor Department is expected to report that the consumer price index for October increased 0.3%, the same as in October. A higher-than-expected jump in prices will most likely rule out the U.S. Federal Reserve cutting its target interest rate during the remainder of 2007.