We've had some great trades come out of this small-cap-focused column since we launched it back in 2020 and started rotating it with our flagship bottom-up scan, Under the Hood.
For the first year or so, we focused only on Russell 2000 stocks with a market cap between $1 and $2B.
That was fun, but we wanted to branch out a bit and allow some new stocks to find their way onto our list.
We expanded our universe to include some mid-caps.
Nowadays, to make the cut for our Minor Leaguers list, a company must have a market cap between $1 and $4B.
And it doesn't have to be a Russell component — it can be any US-listed equity. With participation expanding around the globe, we want all those ADRs in our universe.
The same price and liquidity filters are applied. Then, as always, we sort by proximity to new highs in order to focus on the best players.
The goal is to catch the strongest names while they're small and have serious upside potential. If any of these stocks ever climb the ranks to the big leagues, the returns could be huge.
We're looking at up to 10x moves just to break into large-cap land!
Let's dive into this week's report.
Here’s a look at the Russell 2000 $IWM:
Small Caps are pressing the ceiling again — this time with real momentum behind them. After multiple failed attempts, IWM has pushed back to just beneath the key 242 highs.
The difference now? Each pullback has been shallower, buyers have stepped in earlier, and the base has tightened into a clear launching pad. That kind of pressure doesn’t just vanish — it usually resolves in the direction of strength.
If Small Caps can finally clear 242 with conviction, it unlocks a powerful breakout from a multi-year range. That would shift leadership into one of the most important risk barometers in the market.
Until then, the decision point is still in play. In the meantime, we’re focused on names showing relative strength because if this base breaks, leadership will matter.
Let's take a look at this week's table:
*Click to enlarge view
Since we sort our list by proximity to 52-week highs, the names toward the top are potential future leaders. They're not just exhibiting impressive relative strength. They're also making new highs on an absolute basis.
With that as our backdrop, let's take the field and highlight this week's top players!
Batter up…
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