AAON, Inc. AAON

Many small-cap stocks have limited Wall Street coverage, giving savvy investors the chance to act before everyone else catches on. But the flip side is that these businesses have increased downside risk because they lack the scale and staying power of their larger competitors.

A number of stocks traded up in the afternoon session after Treasury yields eased and crude oil prices fell amid U.S. and Iranian talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Even if they go mostly unnoticed, industrial businesses are the backbone of our country. Still, their generally high capital requirements expose them to the ups and downs of economic cycles, and the industry’s six-month return of 4.9% has fallen short of the S&P 500’s 18% rise.