3 Cheap Small-Cap Stocks to Buy Before the Next Breakout If you are bullish over the long term, you should be looking for cheap small-cap stocks to buy now. With second-quarter earnings season wrapping up, we have a good idea of which companies are winners and losers. And importantly, we also have a sense of what should be driving prices on Wall Street. Ahead of any further action from the Federal Reserve, start looking for companies that reported strong earnings and have been unfairly treated in 2022. These stocks will rebound when the market turns around. Cheap Small-Cap Stocks: Peabody Energy (BTU) Source: Philip Rozenski | Shutterstock.com In spite of the prevailing theme of greener businesses, we still have a tremendous need for fossil fuels. Coal is one of them, and Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU ) is likely to continue to thrive. It also provides the source of fuel to power generators for charging our electric vehicles. That industry is still budding, so the need for coal power is not likely to abate anytime soon. There are no obvious signs in BTU’s financials that the business is suffering.