Penny stocks (small caps) are winners again. They are even beating big stocks.

The Russell 2000, the most quoted small cap index is up over 6.5% this year. In contrast, the Dow and the S&P 500 are basically breakeven.

Small cap stocks are back in fashion for two main reasons: they aren’t hurt much by the strong dollar or the sluggish global economy.

A strong dollar cuts into profits and makes it harder to export goods made in America. But small companies don’t have that problem. They do most, if not all, of their business in the U.S. On average, the companies in the S&P 500 get 40% of their revenues from overseas.

More penny stock picks.

God bless the fallen, the innocent civilians killed on this day. God bless the families, especially the families of our friends and colleagues that died in the WTC towers. We spoke almost every day, until everything fell silent that morning. No phones ringing, not a soul thinking about the tickets on the trading desk.

Just an eerie silence. A silence we could feel, almost touch. A silence I still hear once in a while. A silence for you, my friends.

You are not forgotten. Godspeed.

U.S. stocks declined on Friday despite positive economic data as weak Amazon earnings and concerns over continued unrest in Ukraine and Gaza weighed on markets.

“The percent of stocks above their 50-day moving averages isn’t a vast majority, so the divergences within it tell you the that markets might want to consolidate a little bit,” said Art Cashin, director of UBS floor operations at the New York Stock Exchange. “So I think certainly for now they want to rest a little.”

Orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods rose more than expected in June, pointing to momentum in the economy at the end of the second quarter. The report did not move markets in pre-market trading.

“The markets are looking a bit tired,” said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital. “We’re headed to a very busy week of economic data.”

The Federal Open Market Committee meets next week, and economic data reports include second-quarter GDP and U.S. employment figures.

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Disappointing earnings results weighed on the stock market in early trading on Thursday, following two steep drops this week.

The market didn’t get any help from economic news early Thursday.

The Labor Department reported that the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits increased 4,000 last week to 352,000. The slight gain suggests that the sluggish hiring seen in March may not last. Applications are a proxy for layoffs.

European shares rose after three days of losses on Wednesday with investors optimistic that European policymakers would make sure the crisis in Cyprus did not spread to other countries.

Cypriot leaders were holding talks in Nicosia to avert a financial meltdown after parliament rejected the terms of a European Union bailout while Finance Minister Michael Sarris was trying to secure a last minute loan deal with Russia.