Check Point Software Among Technology's Biggest Movers on October 17, 2012

Currently, the Nasdaq has moved little, the S&P 500 has climbed 0.3% and the Dow is unchanged. The technology sector is a category of stocks relating to the research, development and/or distribution of technologically based goods and services. This sector contains businesses revolving around the manufacturing of electronics, creation of software, computers or products and services relating to information technology. The technology sector offers a wide arrange of products and services for both customers and other businesses. Consumer goods like personal computers, stereos and televisions are continually improved and upgraded, offering the latest technology to all users. Businesses receive information and services from software and database systems, which allow the companies to make strategic business decisions.

The biggest movers in the Technology sector (XLK) (+0.4%) are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Cymer (Nasdaq:CYMI)	$1.49 billion	+55.6%
Fortinet (Nasdaq:FTNT)	$3.92 billion	-19.1%
Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI)	$541.5 million	+15.5%
Check Point Software (Nasdaq:CHKP)	$9.83 billion	-12.7%
Cree (Nasdaq:CREE)	$3.04 billion	+11.8%
Sourcefire (Nasdaq:FIRE)	$1.43 billion	-9.8%
Manhattan Associates (Nasdaq:MANH)	$1.19 billion	+5.8%

Broker Summary: Fidelity Online Brokerage

Cymer (Nasdaq:CYMI) has soared 55.6% to reach a current price of $74.43 per share. So far today, 7.3 million shares of the company's stock have changed hands. This is more trading activity than there was yesterday.

Shares of Fortinet (Nasdaq:FTNT) are currently trading at $20.06, a steep decline of 19.1%. The company's volume is currently 9.9 million shares for the day, 3.8 times the current daily average.

Badger Meter (NYSE:BMI) rose a significant 15.5% to reach $43.76 per share. So far today, 222,757 shares have changed hands.

Check Point Software (Nasdaq:CHKP) is currently trading at $41.38 per share, after a steep drop of 12.7%. At 8.8 million shares, the company's volume so far today is 4.5 times the average volume over the last three months.

After a big jump of 11.8%, Cree (Nasdaq:CREE) is trading at $29.28 per share. The company is trading at a volume of 4.3 million shares. Yesterday, volume was only 2.5 million shares.

Sourcefire (Nasdaq:FIRE) is trading at $42.94 per share, down 9.8%. The company's volume is currently 901,329 shares for the day, 1.1 times the average daily volume.

Manhattan Associates (Nasdaq:MANH) is at $62.74 per share after an increase of 5.8%. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 176,356 shares.

The Bottom Line The nature of the market is such that stocks will have good days and bad days. Paying close attention to the previous ratios will help you identify key times to adjust your strategy. Keep in mind that all these ratios should be compared against historical numbers and industry information in order to get a more complete picture.