Small company stocks take the limelight

Dow, S&P 500 both off for day

Small company stocks up, major indexes down for day.

NEW YORK — Small companies are taking the limelight on a choppy start to the week.

The Russell 2000, an index of small-company stocks, rose above 1,000 for the first time today. The index is outpacing the Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index this year.

Small stocks are doing well partly because they are less exposed to Europe’s economic woes than large companies.

The Dow fell 19 points to close at 15,335, a loss of 0.1 percent.

The S&P 500 fell a point to 1,666, or 0.1 percent. The Nasdaq composite fell two points to 3,496, or 0.1 percent.

The Russell rose a point to 998.

Three stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was light at 3.2 billion shares.