Tag - Somx

Stocks finished lower today with the Dow ending seven straight trading sessions closing up. The Dow closed down 35 points to 8,881 while the Nasdaq was up 10 point to close at 1,926 and the S&P 500 edged lower by half a point to close at 954.

The Russell 2000 was up just over 3 points to close at 529.

Leading small-cap price gainers include Media General (NYSE:MEG) up 84% on news that its Q2 EPS was $0.90 versus an EPS loss of $25.12 last year. Much of the firm's gains were attributed to cost cutting measures and selling off a Panama City, Florida television station WMBB and Alexandria, Louisiana television station KALB. Both stations were purchased by Hoak Media.

Other small-cap gainers for today include Somaxon Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:SOMX) up 31%; Dynavax Technologies (Nasdaq:DVAX) up 24%; and Reddy Ice Holdings (NYSE:FRZ) up 22%.

Small-cap decliners include Hemispherex Biopharma (AMEX:HEB) down 27%; Aaron's Inc. (NYSE:AAN) down 14%; and Fuqi International (Nasdaq:FUQI) down 13% after announcing a proposed public offering of 4.5 million shares of common stock.

*****Fed Chief Ben Bernanke went before Congress yesterday to reassure lawmakers that he has an exit plan for his inflationary monetary policies. And apparently the markets were soothed by his plans, because everything rallied - bonds, stocks and the U.S. dollar. 

Most importantly, Bernanke has been pretty adamant that inflation is not a threat right now. Prices are still falling for homes and commercial real estate. Demand for oil is down. Unemployment is rising. None of these conditions suggests that more money will be entering the economy in the form of spending.  

What's his plan, you ask? He didn't say exactly. But it will involve higher interest rates and hopefully Treasury buybacks. 

*****Interestingly, Congress is very interested in problems with the commercial real estate market and what the Fed plans to do about them. Right now, $108 billion in commercial real estate is either in default, foreclosure or bankruptcy. That's the double the dollar amount since the start of the year.  

I'm not sure exactly what Bernanke can do about this. The Fed and the Treasury have made it possible for banks to make some money. That, in turn, will give the banks more ability to offset bad assets currently on their books and increase loss reserves for looming problems, like commercial real estate.  

But ultimately, we are seeing an actual deflationary spiral in the real estate sector. There's too much supply and not enough demand and prices are falling. Eventually, as we saw with my 7-Eleven story from yesterday, real estate will move from weak hands too small hands. But prices have to be attractive. Also, given my expectation that unemployment will remain high and the U.S. economy will grow weakly for a few years, it's highly likely that some real estate will simply remain dormant.  

*****Earnings season is rolling along. Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) beat expectations handily. But the company guided revenues for the rest of the year slightly below consensus. I thought that might be a problem, but apparently not. The stock's up 4%, even after a 10% rally last week.  
 
 Yahoo! (Nasdaq:YHOO) and US Bancorp (NYSE:USB) have reversed early losses to trade in the green. After a long consolidation for stock prices, it looks like we might be breaking out for another upside move. But after the move we've seen over the last seven trading days, I can't help but to be a little skeptical.  
 
Best Regards,

Ian Wyatt
Editor
SCI Daily

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) and the other major American indices fell hard today on news of more losses stemming from the subprime mortgage meltdown. The small-cap index lost 19.17 points, or 2.49%, to 750.33, its fourth consecutive decline. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) added 218.35 points, or 1.66%, to 12,958.44.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has retreated 4.71%, while the Dow has advanced 3.88% and the S&P 500 has gained 1.18%.

Futures were pointing down and trading began in the red following news that investment bank Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) downgraded Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), the largest U.S. bank, to “sell” from “neutral” on fears that it could suffer up to $15 billion in write-downs on collateralized debt obligations over the next two quarters.

Many loans made to borrowers with poor credit histories were repackaged as securities and sold to financial companies, which is why the industry took a hit when U.S. housing prices started to stagnate in the second quarter of 2006 and delinquencies and foreclosures rose.

Today’s news scared investors and served as a reminder that the subprime mess is still working its way through the system and has the potential to inflict more pain. Adding to the uncertainty is the fact that no one knows how many more shoes are going to fall and what the size of the damage will be.

That news alone was enough to ensure that the bears would dominate trading, but there was more to come.

Mooresville, N.C.-based Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW), the nation’s second largest home improvement retailer, announced its third-quarter profit fell 10.2% and total sales increased a less-than-expected 3.2%.

Genesco Inc. (NYSE: GCO), HSW International, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSWI) and Hardinge Inc. (Nasdaq: HDNG) are among the biggest percentage losers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

Here are today's biggest percentage losers:

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) has sunk even deeper into negative territory following news of record low U.S. homebuilder confidence. At 2:26 p.m. ET, the small-cap index had retreated 16.86 points, or 2.19%, to 752.64. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) had fallen 154.70 points, or 1.17%, to 13,022.09.

Trading began on a bearish note following news that investment bank Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) downgraded financial services giant Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) to “sell” from “neutral” on fears that it could suffer up to $15 billion in write-downs on collateralized debt obligations over the next two quarters.

The fact that the largest U.S. bank has been dealt a blow and added to the list of casualties scared investors and served as a reminder that the subprime mess is still working its way through the system and has the potential to inflict more pain.

The financial sector has been feeling the sting of the meltdown in the subprime mortgage sector, which began after the U.S. housing prices started to stagnate in the second quarter of 2006.

Speaking of housing, the National Association of Home Builders reported after the start of trading that its index of builder confidence stayed at a record low level for the second month in row in November.

Builder confidence in the market for new single-family homes held at October’s upwardly revised level of 19, the trade association announced. That’s the lowest reading since tracking started in January 1985.

“The message from today’s report is that builders do not see any significant change in housing market conditions as compared to last month,” said NAHB chief economist David Seiders in a statement. “While they continue to work down inventories of unsold homes and reposition themselves for the market’s eventual recovery, they realize it will be some time before market conditions support an upswing in building activity.”

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) has declined steeply on news of poor corporate earnings and credit fears stemming from troubled U.S. housing sector.

At 11:04 a.m. ET, the small-cap index was down 18.05 points, or 2.35%, to 751.45. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) had lost 158.19 points, or 1.20%, to 13,018.60.

The bears came out in full force this morning following news before the start of trading that investment bank Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS) downgraded financial services giant Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) to “sell” from “neutral” on fears that it could suffer up to $15 billion in write-downs on collateralized debt obligations over the next two quarters.

The financial sector has been aching in the wake of the meltdown in the subprime mortgage sector, which began after the U.S. housing prices started to stagnate in the second quarter of 2006.

News of the expected write-downs came as an unpleasant reminder that so far no one has been able to quantify the extent of the damage to the financial sector, but various estimates are calling for total losses of hundreds of billions of dollars.

The fact that the largest U.S. bank has been dealt a blow and added to the list of casualties tells us that the subprime mess is still working its way through the system and has the potential to inflict more pain.

A number of mortgage lenders have already declared bankruptcy and many financial institutions have tightened credit.

Restoration Hardware, Inc. (Nasdaq: RSTO), AeroCentury Corp. (AMEX: ACY) and Amcon Distributing Co. (AMEX: DIT) are among the biggest percentage gainers in Thursday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $750 million.

Here are today's biggest percentage gainers:

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) and the other major U.S. indices fell today as credit worries resurfaced following news of losses at Citigroup. The small-cap index fell 7.34 points, or 0.92%, to 790.44. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) lost 51.70 points, or 0.38%, to 13,543.40.

On a year-to-date basis, the Russell 2000 has increased 0.38%, while the Dow has added 8.57% and the S&P 500 has gained 6.04%.

The bears dominated trading today following news that Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C), the largest U.S. bank, expects to incur additional losses of up to $11 billion after already suffering $6.5 billion in credit-related losses in the third quarter.

Analysts forecast that the credit problems will negatively affect Citibank in the fourth-quarter and lead to a net loss.

That was enough to scare investors, who had been hoping that this summer’s credit problems were in the past. Wall Street will now keep a watchful eye on other banks and brokerages for signs of additional losses stemming from the recession in the U.S. housing sector.

Many financial institutions bought securities backed by subprime mortgages that have become worthless in the wake of falling home prices and a wave of foreclosures by cash-strapped homeowners. No one knows for certain the extent to which the subprime debacle will damage the financial sector.

Gevity HR, Inc. (Nasdaq: GVHR), Somaxon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: SOMX) and Glu Mobile Inc. (Nasdaq: GLUU) are among the biggest percentage losers in Monday's trading among companies with market capitalizations under $500 million.

Here are today's biggest percentage losers:

The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) and the other major U.S. indices are in negative territory as credit fears return to Wall Street. At 1:46 p.m. ET, the small-cap index had shed 9.67 points, or 1.21%, to 788.11. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDU) was down 108.44 points, or 0.80%, to 13,486.66.

Financial stocks are leading the way down after Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) announced before the start of trading that it expects additional losses of up to $11 billion after already suffering $6.5 billion in credit-related losses in the third quarter.

Analysts are estimating that the credit problems will negatively affect Citibank in the fourth-quarter and lead to a net loss.

The news brought out the bears and spooked investors, who were hoping that this summer’s credit problems were in the past, but recent events have revived the issue. Investors will also want to see if other banks and brokerages report additional losses.

Many financial institutions bought securities backed by subprime mortgages that have become worthless in the wake of the recession in the U.S. housing market and the wave of foreclosures by cash-strapped homeowners.

Small-cap stocks are also sagging this afternoon, with Sanders Morris Harris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: SMHG) down 2% while Stifel Financial Corp. (Nasdaq: SF) has dropped 6%.

Shares of Somaxon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: SOMX) plunged this morning on heavy volume after the company said it may have to delay its new drug application (NDA) submission for insomnia drug, Silenor.

Soon after the market opened, Somaxon shares had dropped by $1.82, or 10.1%, to $16.18. The stock has traded between $10.09 (on July 28) and $20.70 (on May 9) in the past year.

By 9:43 AM ET, volume was already strong – nearly 500,000 shares had changed hands, compared with an average three-month daily volume of 139,000 shares.

San Diego, Calif.-based Somaxon said it received a letter from the FDA on May 8 informing the company that its ongoing carcinogencity study of the drug should be included in the NDA. Somaxon President and CEO Ken Cohen said his firm was under the assumption that it could file the NDA without including the data. It planned to provide the information during the NDA review process.