Russell 2000

The addition of three Maryland companies to closely monitored Russell stock indexes underscores investor recognition of the bullish prospects the companies enjoy, analysts and officials of the companies say.Baltimore-based Creditrust Corp., Annapolis-based USInternetworking Inc. and Lanham-based Radio One Inc. were among companies added yesterday to one or more of the broad stock indexes created and charted by Frank Russell Co.One of those, the Russell 2000 index, is the most widely referred to index of small public companies as measured by market value.

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks rose yesterday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index higher for the first day in six. Microsoft Corp., Pfizer Inc. and Citigroup Inc. led the gain. "We've seen a bit of change in the tenor of the market," said John Bartlett, who helps oversee $10 billion at Commerce Trust Co. in St. Louis. "We've seen, for the first time in a while, a willingness to come in and buy the dips, rather than just selling the rallies." The Dow climbed 117.07, or 1.4 percent, to 8,425.

NEW YORK -- After finally hitting their stride late last year, small-company stocks were supposed to blow past the rest of the pack this year. But a little past the halfway mark, they have slackened off.Depending on which measure is used, small stocks have either slightly outperformed or been no better than bigger stocks. The combination of a weak economy and impending health care reform have drained the stocks of their staying power, causing them to lurch around for much of the year."It seems like this is the third or fourth time where we've been wondering where the economy is going," said Henry Otto, the small-stock portfolio manager for Brandywine Asset Management Inc. in Wilmington, Del. "This hasn't helped them much at all."

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks soared after a government report showed new jobs and wages grew less than expected last month. BroadVision Inc. and Conexant Systems Inc. were among the biggest gainers in the Nasdaq composite index. The Nasdaq finished the best week in its 29-year history, as the report boosted optimism the Federal Reserve will limit interest-rate increases and keep the record nine-year economic expansion going. Securities firms, including Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., gained on expectations of higher revenue from fees as investors buy stocks.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks staged a late rebound yesterday, sending the Nasdaq composite index to a sixth straight record. Computer and paper stocks fueled the advance.A recovery in U.S. Treasury bonds also helped lift stocks. For an eighth straight day, small and medium-sized companies outpaced big companies such as DuPont Co. and General Electric Co.Small-company earnings grew about three times as fast as large companies in the first quarter, stock analysts said.The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 13.01 to 5,566.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks raced to records yesterday amid expectations of low inflation and big profits, the same fuel that's propelled the longest-ever expansion in the equity market.The Dow Jones industrial average, which fell almost 10 percent in late March, finally recovered all of this year's losses and achieved an all-time high, closing at 7,214.49, up 143.29."We have low inflation, big profits and people have money to spend. This is an outstanding time in the markets, and we should all enjoy it," said Dan Ryczek, a money manager at Loomis, Sayles & Co., which oversees $50 billion.

In 1993, the U.S. stock market slowed noticeably, falling well short of the 16 percent yearly increase of the previous decade.The total return (price change plus income) for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, the most widely used benchmark for measuring the market's performance, was 10.08 percent.You also could have earned close to a 10 percent return last year by being invested in a fund that tracks an index reflecting the whole U.S. investment grade bond market, such as Salomon Bros.' Broad Investment-Grade Bond index.

Since you could never be sure that a general equity mutual fund would perform as well as an index of stock prices, such as the Standard & Poor's 500, you may have decided to invest at least a portion of your assets in a fund designed to match such an index.While you knew that such a fund would not outperform the index, you also knew that it should not lag the index by more than a fraction of 1 percent for operating expenses -- in contrast with actively managed funds that may lag stock indexes by a lot more.

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks rose yesterday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index higher for the first day in six. Microsoft Corp., Pfizer Inc. and Citigroup Inc. led the gain. "We've seen a bit of change in the tenor of the market," said John Bartlett, who helps oversee $10 billion at Commerce Trust Co. in St. Louis. "We've seen, for the first time in a while, a willingness to come in and buy the dips, rather than just selling the rallies." The Dow climbed 117.07, or 1.4 percent, to 8,425.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rallied yesterday as gains in Walt Disney Co. and Microsoft Corp. shares sparked the market's first big advance in four days. The Nasdaq composite and Russell 2000 indexes reached record highs.Disney shares jumped $2.50, to $59, after the entertainment company named Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz as its president. Microsoft rose $2.25, to $98.75, catapulting technology shares, amid strong European demand for the company's new operating system, Windows 95.Led by Disney and Caterpillar Inc., the Dow Jones industrial average rose 41.56, to 4,659.

The addition of three Maryland companies to closely monitored Russell stock indexes underscores investor recognition of the bullish prospects the companies enjoy, analysts and officials of the companies say.Baltimore-based Creditrust Corp., Annapolis-based USInternetworking Inc. and Lanham-based Radio One Inc. were among companies added yesterday to one or more of the broad stock indexes created and charted by Frank Russell Co.One of those, the Russell 2000 index, is the most widely referred to index of small public companies as measured by market value.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks fell in the last hour of trading as investors shifted money from computer and semiconductor shares into smaller companies.The Nasdaq composite index slumped 35.17 to 2,542.23, led by Intel Corp.International Business Machines Corp. accounted for most of the Dow Jones industrial average's 20.65-point drop to 10,866.74. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 5.40 to 1,338.83.By contrast, the Russell 2,000 index, a benchmark of small-cap stocks, rose 1.88 to 448.02; the American Stock Exchange composite index advanced 3.67 to 792.03; and the S&P 400 midcap index added 0.24 to 403.94.

NEW YORK -- Stock prices drifted lower in sluggish trading yesterday, as investors adjusted their holdings before the end of the quarter and kept an eye on NATO airstrikes in Kosovo.The Dow Jones industrial average ended the session down 14.15 at 9,822.24, after erasing most of an early 89-point loss. The Dow finished the week down 81.31 points.Broader stock indicators declined after a brief rally in technology shares lost steam. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 7.19, to 1,282.80. The Nasdaq composite declined 15.63, to 2,419.

NEW YORK -- Major stock indexes fell yesterday, with Intel Corp., 3Com Corp. and Micron Technology Inc. showing the way, on concern that waning demand and increased competition will hurt profit in the computer and networking industries.The Nasdaq composite index dropped 36.15, to 2,259.03. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 27.17, to 9,297.61.The Standard & Poor's 500 index declined 10.66, to 1,225.50.All three market measures surrendered gains in late trading.Elsewhere on the broad market, the Russell 2,000 index, a benchmark of small-cap stocks, rose 0.04, to 394.43; the American Stock Exchange composite index advanced 0.92, to 699.21; and the S&P 400 midcap index added 2.01, to 359.82.

The stock market rallied sharply yesterday after Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan signaled for the third time in two weeks that interest rates could be cut because of spreading global economic problems that are beginning to infect the United States.The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 257.21 points, or 3.26 percent, to 8,154.41 as many economists and stock market analysts believe that the Fed will come to the rescue and cut interest rates.Greenspan "has an eye on the market, and he is seeing fears of recession and fears of depression," said Angel Mata Jr., head of listed equity trading at Baltimore-based Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc."

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose yesterday, recovering part of Tuesday's losses, as investors scooped up beaten-down shares on speculation that prices had fallen further than justified by the effects on profits of Asia's slump.The Dow Jones industrial average rose 90.11 to 8,552.96, after falling 112 points Tuesday on concern that Japan's deepening recession might hurt profits for companies that do business in Asia. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 15.24 to 1,084.22, and the Nasdaq composite index jumped 32.83 to 1,825.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks were mixed yesterday as technology shares headed in different directions: Cisco Systems Inc. surged on better-than-expected earnings while International Business Machines Corp. dropped after cutting prices for its personal computers.Still, the technology-laden Nasdaq composite index reached its fourth consecutive record high, rising 2.04 to 1,031.28, for a gain of 2.7 percent on the week. Gains were checked by declines in computer and semiconductor shares."Networking shares were strong because of Cisco's numbers, and semiconductors, which have been acting strong all week, are acting awful," said Dave Ambrose, trader at SoundView Financial Group in Stamford, Conn.

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks soared after a government report showed new jobs and wages grew less than expected last month. BroadVision Inc. and Conexant Systems Inc. were among the biggest gainers in the Nasdaq composite index. The Nasdaq finished the best week in its 29-year history, as the report boosted optimism the Federal Reserve will limit interest-rate increases and keep the record nine-year economic expansion going. Securities firms, including Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., gained on expectations of higher revenue from fees as investors buy stocks.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose yesterday, as investors who sold richly valued large stocks this week moved money into small and midsize companies.The small-stock Russell 2,000 index extended Thursday's rise, soaring 9.18, or 2.3 percent, to 415.80. The Russell's gains were led by little-known names such as PMC-Sierra Inc., a maker of parts for computer networks, up $3.625 to $36.25.The Standard & Poor's 400 midcap index rose 5.85, or 1.8 percent, to 340.84, led by software and oil drilling stocks such as Network Associates Inc. and EVI Weatherford Inc.The Dow Jones industrial average eked out a gain of 20.34 to 8,598.

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks rose yesterday for a second day, as investors bid up Microsoft Corp., Intel Corp. and other computer shares on confidence that prices are now in line with their profit outlook and the inventory glut is largely over.The Nasdaq composite index, crammed with computer-related companies, staged its biggest rally in five months, gaining 41.31, or 2.3 percent, to 1,829.51. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 30.90 to 8,577.68, though it's still down 3.4 percent for the week after two days of wide swings.