Tag - Rhb

The health care industry seems to have a better grasp of what President Obama’s reforms mean for business. Now executives can calculate their next steps, and investors are pushing up prices for shares of health care related stocks. Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) is an attractive health care stock that is worth a look.

The Russell 2000 (NYSE:IWM) moved up on news of a higher-than-expected rise in producer prices and solid earnings from major players. The small-cap index added 5.99 points, or 0.87%, to 692.06. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 60.41 points, or 0.49%, to 12,362.47.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has declined 9.66%, while the Dow is off 6.80% and the S&P 500 is missing 9.12%.

Small-cap stocks began the day in the green and spent the majority of the session above the flat line on news before the opening that producer prices rose a greater-than-expected 1.1% in March following a rise of 0.3% in February.

The numbers also show a jump in energy and food costs, indicating that inflation pressures remain. However, core producer prices, which exclude the costs of food and energy, rose a modest 0.2%.

“The good news is that core PPI remains tame, but how long can that last for?” global foreign exchange strategist Andrew Busch with financial services firm BMO Capital Markets wrote in a note today. “At some point, U.S. businesses . . .

Broadway Financial Corp. (Nasdaq:BYFC), Richardson Electronics, Ltd. (Nasdaq:RELL) and RehabCare Group, Inc. (NYSE:RHB) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Tuesday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

Community Central Bank Corp. (Nasdaq:CCBD), United-Guardian, Inc. (AMEX:UG) and FX Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq:FXEN) are also among the top small-cap percentage gainers.

Here are Tuesday's biggest percentage gainers among small caps:

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) snapped a five-session losing streak on generally bullish economic news and plans to help a bond insurer. The small-cap index added 2.76 points, or 0.41%, to 683.74. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) gained 41.19 points, or 0.34%, to 12,254.99.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 is down 10.74%, while the Dow is missing 7.61% and the S&P 500 has lost 9.17%.

A volatile day of trading began on a bullish note following news that business productivity growth for the fourth quarter of 2007 was revised up to an annualized rate of 1.9%, according to the U.S. Commerce Department before the opening.

Economists were expecting productivity to stay at its initially reported rate of 1.8%.

Contributing to the upbeat mood was a report after the start of trading from the Institute of Supply Management that non-manufacturing activity increased to a reading of 49.3% in February from 44.6% in January. That still indicates a contraction in the sector that provides about 80% of U.S. gross domestic product, but economists had projected worse.