April 17 (SmallCapInvestor.com) – Stocks are posting small gains this morning following news of stronger-than-expected home construction in March and an easing of inflation.  Among small caps, weak quarterly sales are hurting shares of Universal Forest Products, Inc. (Nasdaq: UFPI), while InsWeb Corporation (Nasdaq: INSW) is surging after reporting its first ever profit.

At 10:50 AM the Russell 2000 was down 0.56 points, or 0.07 percent, to 830.88.  The Dow Jones Industrial Average had gained 57.13 points, or 0.45 percent, to 12,777.59.