Tag - Pld

Great Plains Energy Inc. (NYSE:GXP), California First National Bancorp (Nasdaq:CFNB) and ProLogis REIT (NYSE:PLD) are among the biggest percentage losers in Wednesday morning's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $2 billion.

Today’s action started out under tremendous stress, with stock futures reeling overnight after Senate leaders rejected the $14 billion auto bailout bill, but the White House made it clear that they would throw a lifeline to drowning automakers, regardless. The news helped push stocks higher and the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) eventually managed to end the day up 3.82%. Some of today’s small-cap gainers are Prologis (NYSE:PLD), Exelixis (Nasdaq:EXEL) and Macerich (NYSE:MAC).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• Retail sales this morning came out at minus 1.8%, which was in line with the forecast and perhaps not as bad as some of the “whisper” numbers ahead of the release.
• The PPI report came in at -2.2%, better than the forecast for a dip of 1.8%, which basically shows inflation isn’t an issue right now.
• Bernard Madoff, former Nasdaq chairman, was arrested and charged with running a fraudulent hedge fund that may have racked up $50B in losses. 
• On the auto front, the White House appears ready to throw a lifeline to cash-strapped firms via the TARP funds.
• Tech shares were a clear source of strength today, with large-cap tech firms setting the tone for a strong day in the arena.
• Crude oil was back in the tank, losing 3.5%, or $1.70 a barrel.
• Commodities were the poorest performers today, with coal, metals, agriculture products and oil exploration among the worst

Small Cap Gainers:

• Prologis (NYSE:PLD) jumped 43% as the distribution facilities manager basically recouped a similar loss from Thursday’s session. PLD has seen its stock crumble from the $60 range six months ago to just above $2 at the recent low . . .

Small-cap stocks pushed higher Friday in a miraculous recovery from a dreadful start. Investors embraced talk that the White House would find a way to funnel money into empty automaker coffers after Senate Republicans squashed a proposed aid package Thursday night. Tech stocks, real estate investment trusts, homebuilder and construction materials shares helped lift the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) to a higher close, with the index closing up 17.22, or 3.82%, at 468.43. For the year, the Russell is now down 39%, while the Dow is off 35% and the S&P 500 is down 40%.

Today’s action started out under tremendous stress, with stock futures reeling overnight after Senate leaders rejected a $14 billion bailout bill for automakers. In addition, the commodities run that powered recent upside action looked tired, financial shares were still soft and news of a massive $50 billion investor fraud was in the mix. The market was poised for a 4% drop on the open, and who knows just how ugly things might have gotten … but that’s when the White House made it clear that they would throw a lifeline to drowning automakers. If the Senate wouldn’t approve a bridge loan to automakers without micromanaging their businesses and carving more concessions out of the union, then the Bush Administration would try to keep car makers afloat for a few weeks while the politics got sorted out. Turns out, it was a lifeline that rescued the stock market from what looked like a very troubling day. That said, General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) stock still slipped 4.3% today, while Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) was up 4.8%.

Technology shares were a clear source of strength today for the market, with big-time firms like Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL), up 3.4% and Intel Corp. (Nasdaq:INTC), up 5.2% setting the tone for a strong day in the tech arena.

The big event today was supposed to be the monthly retail sales report, which would most likely remind all of us just how bad spending is as we finish up the holiday season. As it turned out, the retail sales report was just as bad as predicted — which actually means it was good news. If you’re keeping tabs, the headline retail sales figure came in at minus 1.8%, right in line with the forecast. But the . . .

Small-cap stocks were holding ground into mid-session, buoyed by hope for a White House rescue for automakers and by a bounce in tech stocks, real estate investment trusts, homebuilders and gold stocks, which helped counter ongoing weakness in the financial arena. Some of today’s small-cap gainers are Prologis (NYSE:PLD), Exelixis (Nasdaq:EXEL) and TechTeam Global (Nasdaq:TEAM).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• The Michigan sentiment survey came in better than expected at 59.1, above the forecast of 55.0.  
• Much of the investor focus today will be on trying to decipher just what the Senate’s rejection of the automaker bailout will mean to the market.  
• The Nasdaq traded in positive territory briefly about 30 min. after the open, and small caps jumped nearly 10 handles off the morning low.  
• Bernard Madoff, former Nasdaq chairman, was arrested and charged with running a fraudulent hedge fund that may have racked up $50B in losses.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Real estate investment trusts (REITS) were on a serious roll today, with small-capper Prologis jumping 26%, reversing a big slide from Thursday. See (NYSE:PLD).
• Bristol-Myers, biotech Exelixis team up on cancer; Exelixis stock is up 18.5%. See (Nasdaq:EXEL).  
• TechTeam Global up 16% on light volume. See (Nasdaq:TEAM). 
• The Andersons raised to "buy" from "hold" by BB&T; shares pop 15%. See (Nasdaq:ANDE).  


Small Cap Losers:

• Chicago Bridge & Iron Co. NV tumbled 17% and has now given back the recent advance tied to plans from President-elect Obama to initiate a massive infrastructure project.  
• DryShips cancels its acquisition of four Panamax drybulk carriers. Shares fall 15% in pre-market. See (Nasdaq:DRYS).  
• Wunderlich Securities initiates coverage on Warren Resources with a "hold," shares dip 4%. See (Nasdaq:WRES).  
• Ciena down another 3.31% in pre-market after seeing a dramatic loss Thursday on a Q4 Loss. See (Nasdaq:CIEN). 

Small-cap stocks were holding ground into mid-session, buoyed by hope for a White House rescue for automakers and by a bounce in tech stocks, real estate investment trusts, homebuilders and gold stocks, which helped counter ongoing weakness in the financial arena. At 12:32 p.m. ET, the Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) was up 4.18, or 0.93%, at 455.39, even though the Dow and S&P 500 were both in negative territory.

On the auto front, the White House appears ready to throw a lifeline to cash-strapped firms via the TARP funds, which have previously been utilized primarily in the banking arena. President-elect Obama also stated that he was disappointed that the Senate shot down a $14 billion bailout bill and the hoped the White House and Congress will find a way to help beleaguered U.S. automakers. As it became apparent some type of emergency bridge loan or funding proposal would more than likely take place quickly, shares in both General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM) and Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) rallied hard off the morning lows. In fact, Ford climbed into positive ground, after sinking some 26% earlier in the day.

The resilient rise in small caps was a welcome sign after stock index futures tumbled 4% overnight when the Senate first squashed the automaker bill. Real estate investment trusts (REITS) were on a serious roll today, with small-capper Prologis (NYSE:PLD) jumping 26%, reversing a big slide from Thursday. Small-cap firm Apartment Investment & Management Co. (NYSE:AIV) was up nearly 7% and Developers Diversified Realty Corp. (NYSE:DDR) jumped 11% -- all of these companies were hammered Thursday and were in correction mode today.

On the homebuilder front, small-cap firm Centex Corp. (NYSE:CTX) rose 4%, KB Home (NYSE:KBH) was up 4% as well and Lennar Corp. (NYSE:LEN) was up 5%. Homebuilder shares were a hot ticket last week when mortgage applications shot to the highest point since February, but they cooled off this week until . . .

Small-cap stocks remained lower into midday trading, but were also well off the morning lows as oversold conditions, erratic bargain-hunting, firm tech and retail stocks helped limit some of the gloom surrounding the latest economic news. The market continued to fret about the fate of domestic automakers, and continued to suffer money flow exit into safe-haven docks. Some of today’s small-cap gainers are Gymboree Corp. (Nasdaq:GYMB), KLA-Tencor Corp (Nasdaq:KLAC) and Dress Barn (Nasdaq:DBRN).

Other Market Watch highlights today included:

• The Energy Select Sector SPDR Fund was off 6.7% at mid-session.  
• Crude oil prices tumbled below $50 a barrel, reaching the lowest point since May 2005 and energy stocks were taking a beating today.  
• The market continues to fret about the fate of domestic automakers, and continued to suffer money flow exit into safe-haven docks.  
• The chart structure for small caps is awful right now, with the Russell 2000 in freefall mode through support points that date back more than five years.

Small Cap Gainers:

• Gymboree Corp. is up 25% in afternoon trading as the children’s retailer beat the earnings forecast. See (Nasdaq:GYMB).  
• Analysts' projections of KLA-Tencor Corp. remain unaffected after the semiconductor company announced it would cut 15% of its workforce. Shares up 10.3%. See (Nasdaq:KLAC).
• Dress Barn up about 10% on an increase in Q1 net earnings. See (Nasdaq:DBRN).
• True Religion Apparel up nearly 6% today following a surge in Q3 profits reported earlier this month. See (Nasdaq:TRLG).

Small Cap Losers:

• Media General shares lost as much as 54% of their value on Thursday after Harbinger Capital sold stock in the newspaper publisher. See (NYSE:MEG).
• Arbor Realty Trust hit a new 52-week low of $1.90, down from a 52-week high of $19.20. Shares are currently down 31%. See (NYSE:ABR).  
• REITs continue to bleed red in the weathered economy and ProLogis is no exception. Shares of the REIT are down over 22%. See (NYSE:PLD).  
• Suntech Power Holdings cuts forecast, shares fall to all-time low of $5.33. See (NYSE:STP).