Daily Small Cap Market News and Stock Highlights from SmallCapVoice.com

The Labor Department said new claims for unemployment benefits jumped unexpectedly to 576,000 last week. Economists, who are hoping for a return to economic growth this year, had predicted a decline.

However, U.S. stocks got some support from a rebound in overseas markets. In China, the Shanghai market bounced back from a sharp sell-off and the major European indexes were all up about 1 percent.

Treasury prices fell after several days of gains -- a sign that investors were feeling a bit more optimistic about the economy's prospects. Demand for government debt, considered a safe-haven asset, tends to rise when investors are nervous about the economy.

Investors also were poring over more earnings reports from retailers and other companies that directly serve the consumer. The news from Sears Holdings Corp. wasn't good; the retailer posted a bigger loss than expected in the second quarter as its sales fell and it closed stores.

Other companies, though, beat Wall Street's expectations. H.J. Heinz Co. said its fiscal first-quarter profit fell due to in part to the stronger dollar, but results topped analysts' estimates. And Hormel Foods Corp. said its third-quarter profit rose 49 percent, exceeding analyst projections.

Stocks have been trading erratically this week as investors, absorbing mixed economic signals, have alternated between optimism and pessimism about a recovery.

In early trading, the Dow Jones industrials rose 28.41, or 0.3 percent, to 9,307.57. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 5.25, or 0.5 percent, to 1,001.71, while the Nasdaq composite index gained 11.37, or 0.6 percent, to 1,980.61.

Yesterday’s Top Performing Small Cap stock:

HearAtLast Holdings, Inc. (Pink Sheets: HRAL) was a SmallCapVoice.com top performer closing up over 7% on trading volume of 83,040 shares.

HearAtLast Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of suitable affordable solutions to clients with hearing needs in the billion dollar hearing loss market, announced the addition of Pierre Lafontaine to its senior management team. In his new role as Managing Director and GM, Pierre will focus on expansion and restructuring of existing clinics with an emphasis on increased revenue generation through community outreach programs and clinic overhead reductions.

Today’s SmallCapVoice.com Hot Stock to Watch:

U.S. Geothermal, Inc. (AMEX: HTM)

U.S. Geothermal Inc. recently announced the closing of its private placement of 8,100,000 Subscription Receipts, at C$1.35 per Subscription Receipt, for gross proceeds of C$10,935,000. Gross proceeds will be used for drilling wells at the Neal Hot Springs geothermal project and for general working capital purposes.

U.S. Geothermal is a renewable energy development company that is operating geothermal power plants at Raft River, Idaho and at the San Emidio Desert in Nevada. The Neal Hot Springs project in eastern Oregon is being developed and is expected to be operational in 2011. The San Emidio project is currently under development to replace the existing old power plant with a new efficient plant. U.S. Geothermal holds, through ownership or lease, geothermal rights of lands that comprise the Raft River project in Idaho, San Emidio, Granite Ranch, and Gerlach in Nevada, and the Neal Hot Springs project in Oregon.

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SmallCapVoice.com is a recognized corporate investor relations firm, with clients nationwide.  Known for its ability to help emerging growth companies build a following among retail and institutional investors, SmallCapVoice.com utilizes its stock newsletter to feature its daily stock picks, audio interviews, as well as its client's financial news releases. SmallCapVoice.com also offers individual investors with all the tools they need to make informed decisions about the stocks they are interested in. Tools like our stock charts, stock alerts, and our investor fact sheets can assist with investing in stocks that are traded on the OTC BB and Pink Sheets.

Small Cap Voice SCV is an electronic publication, and is for informational purposes only. The stocks profiled by SCV are only company profiles and are not intended to be and should not be accepted by you as recommendations to buy or sell in these securities. These profiles are compiled from publicly available sources. Our sources include, but are not limited to, online research, company profiles, member suggestions, magazines, newspapers, analyst suggestions, broker recommendations, contact with the company, company rumors, press releases and other similar information sources. All profiles are based on information that is accessible by the public. Investing in stocks involves risk. SCV is not and does not hold itself out to be a registered broker or dealer or other licensed securities professional. You should consult a qualified, licensed financial advisor or stock broker before making any decisions to invest in the securities of any company that is described in these profiles.  For compensation and complete disclaimer click here.

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