Small caps are quietly outperforming the S&P 500 and 'Magnificent 7' this year: AlphaCheck

Good morning. Stocks were little changed on Thursday morning in the wait for a Middle East deal, though a decline in software stocks dragged on the Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) in the first half-hour of trading. Oil prices ( CL=F , BZ=F ) are up, and so is SpaceX ( SPCX ) stock as retail investors buy the dip .

But first, a check of the markets in early trading, as of 10:20 a.m. ET, based on a heat map powered by Yahoo Finance AlphaSpace data .

The Technology sector ( XLK ) was under pressure in early trading but flipped into the green. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF ( IGV ) fell over 2%, offset by a 2% gain in the iShares Semiconductor ETF ( SOXX ).

Energy stocks ( XLE ) also rose, mirroring a 1% rise in oil and a lift in ConocoPhillips ( COP ) shares after the company reported earnings.

Here are the top stocks Yahoo Finance readers viewed this morning: SpaceX ( SPCX ), Micron ( MU ), Intel ( INTC ), SK Hynix ( SKHY ), Oracle ( ORCL ), IBM ( IBM ), and CrowdStrike ( CRWD ).

While the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) and Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) reached record highs this week, another group of stocks in an overlooked part of the market also quietly showed its strength.

The Russell 2000 ( ^RUT ) index touched a record high on Wednesday, surpassing the 3,000 level for the first time.

The small-cap index's 20.7% return has outperformed the S&P 500's 12.8% gain this year. It has also outperformed the "Magnificent Seven" stocks year to date, as small caps benefited from profit-taking in the larger, growthier parts of the market.