Here’s our roundup of the big stories affecting some of the tech leaders on the market today. Companies in today’s report include Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NADSAQ:MSFT), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), and International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM).

Tech News Roundup: June 23 2011

Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) gave all smartphone and tablet manufacturers plenty to worry about as the multitouch patent it applied for in December of 2007 was finally awarded. U.S. patent number 7,966,578 covers a broad range of details that could potentially give any touch-screen based smartphone maker huge headaches if Apple’s legal team were to make a deal out of it. Apple Inc has been in legal battles before, most notably with Nokia, and its patenting of the now commonly used multitouch technology is likely to be a big weapon for the already near-invincible tech company.

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) achieved another milestone it was revealed, as comScore announced that Google had surpassed 1 billion unique visitors in May. The search engine specialist becomes the first internet company to hit the mark, but closely behind it is Microsoft who can thank its Bing search engine for a total of 905 million uniques. Facebook is behind the two tech giants with 714 million visitors, but has the upper hand in user engagement stats commanding 6.3 hours per month on average from its visitors. Google Inc’s Panda update has helped its YouTube video service to rank better in search engines, and this is likely to be a factor in it reaching the 1 billion plateau.

Microsoft Corporation (NADSAQ:MSFT) is getting tired of falling behind in the innovation arms race and has recently announced an interactive TV ads platform that could change television forever. Microsoft was at the Cannes Lions advertising festival this week as it showed how the use of its popular Xbox 360 peripheral could change the way viewers interact with advertisements. Voice and motion controls will allow fans to stay engaged and perform a variety of action ranging from tweeting the ad, to finding directions on search engines, to voting in polls. The idea is for now known as ‘NUads’, NU for natural user, and could open up an interesting door for TV ads which have steadily been losing market share to internet ads.

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) earlier this year revealed their plans at a new category of laptops it dubbed ‘ultrabooks’ in the company’s attempt to stop tablets from stealing further market share. Intel unveiled three new PC processors that pack low-voltage Core processors. The company hopes its Atom platform and low power processors will help it enter the mobile space that has steadily been outperforming the desktop market as of late. Intel already had revealed its intentions of shifting 40% of market demand for laptops into ultrabooks.

International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM) is making the foray into social networking. The tech company will be expanding its social software portfolio with IBM Connections – a social networking platform that promises real-time compliance capabilities. The software will make use of blogs, wikis, communities, and activities in order to help companies collaborate with clients, partners and employees. Social platforms are an ever growing part of business, and IBM aims to take the power of social business and create a secure and reliable platform for its clients.

Welcome to our coverage of the top moving stocks as of mid-day on June 22 2011. Companies that are being followed closely today in the markets as of noon time include FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX), CarMax, Inc (NYSE:KMX), Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE), AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE:JBL), Robbins & Myers (NYSE:RBN), Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHN), Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV (NYSE:PHG), and La-Z-Boy Incorporated (NYSE:LZB). Details on the moves are listed below.

Mid-Day Stocks To Watch: June 22 2011

Logistics company FedEx Corporation (NYSE:FDX) is up 2.5% in intraday trading today. The company reported a 4th quarter profit jump of 33% despite economic challenges and rising fuel prices. Earnings in 2011 came out to $4.90 per share which was in line with the analyst consensus. The world’s largest air cargo carrier expects a great 2012 backed by economic growth and strong margins.

Used car retailer CarMax, Inc (NYSE:KMX) saw its shares rise by nearly 7% after the company announced its first quarter results. Profit rose by 25% backed by increased secondhand car sales in a time where economic uncertainty is still on the mind of consumers. The Richmond based company reported revenue of $2.68 billion, up 18% from the same period last year as prices were also raised.

Adobe Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ:ADBE) shares have plummeted below the 30 mark, down 6.5%, on poor reported performance in Europe. The graphic design software company reported a 54% jump in profit in Q2 but sales in Europe were $10-15 million less than it had predicted. Company CEO Mark Garrett remains positive on the future of the company, reiterating 10% revenue growth in fiscal 2011.

AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), the unmanned aircraft systems specialist, is one of the day’s biggest risers as investors react to the company’s recent strong Q4 results. Shares of AeroVironment are up nearly 20% as the company also forecasted an optimistic 2012. Despite gaining notoriety for its drones during the Afghanistan war, it was the company’s efficient energy systems unit which provided the company with the boost. The electric vehicle charging systems are expected to be the company’s biggest source of growth according to CEO Tim Conver.

Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE:JBL) shares have surged over 20% today as investors react to the company’s third quarter results. The world’s third largest electronics manufacturing services firm saw its earnings double from the same period last year. The St. Petersburg based company, which holds customers such as Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL), Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM), and Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) plans to spend in the vicinity of $200 million to buy its own stock over the next year.

Robbins & Myers (NYSE:RBN) shares skyrocketed by 10% as of noon time on Wednesday after the company announced third quarter fiscal results. EPS rose nearly 8 fold over the same period last year boosted by the sale of its Romaco business and acquisition of T-3 Energy Services.

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACHN) will raise $53 million as the company engages in a public offering of 9.6 million shares. The funds will be used to invest in its clinical tests and trials. The biopharmaceutical company specializing in treatment of hepatitis and bacterial infections surged by 10% in today’s session of trading.

Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV (NYSE:PHG) is one of the worse performing stocks of the day as news surrounding the Dutch group’s 2nd quarter results sent shares tumbling 10%. Europe’s largest consumer electronics producer expects profits at its lighting division and toasters-to-shavers unit to be far below previous estimates. Poor economic conditions, low cost Asian competitiors, and rising costs all contributed to Philips’ recent demise.

La-Z-Boy Incorporated (NYSE:LZB) is another company feeling the heat as the reclining-chair manufacturer profits shrunk 26% despite the 9% rise in sales. The disappointing fourth quarter results stemmed from rising raw material costs and a large writedown. CEO Kurt Darrow still remains positive on the company’s future citing strong sales momentum amid challenging macroeconomic environment as reason for optimism. Shares are trading down 9% as of mid-day on Wednesday.

Here’s our look at the market movers as of mid-day June 10 2011. The companies seeing lots of activity include Verigy Ltd. (NASDAQ:VRGY), Lululemon Athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU), Micromet Inc. (NASDAQ:MITI), Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHTP), and Diana Containerships Inc (NASDAQ:DCIX). Details on their move are described below.

Mid-Day Movers June 10 2011

Verigy Ltd. (NASDAQ:VRGY) is up over 10% today on buyout talks from Advantest Corp. The $1.1 billion buy-up was on the verge of falling out over the last couple of days but the US antitrust concerns that were looming over the deal seem to have been settled. Advantest Corp, the world’s second largest manufacturer of chip-testing equipment aims to grow in the mobile devices markets with the acquisition of Verrigy who produces test systems and solutions for the semiconductor industry.

The athletic apparel retailer Lululemon Athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) announced first quarter results, with a 71% jump in profits sending stocks up 6% in early trading on Friday. This is the seventh straight quarter in which Lululemon has surpassed Wall Street expectations as the company continues to invest heavily in grassroot campaigns. The Vancouver based company has been offering free Yoga classes as well as hosting special events such as Marathons to bolster its brand.

Micromet Inc. (NASDAQ:MITI), the biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for cancer treatment, rose as high as 13% on Friday on the news that one of its drugs draws remission in Leukemia patients. The experimental drug known as Blinatumomab uses the body’s own T-cells to attack tumor cells, and has had a 75 percent success rate during its test. The drug is still years away from market, but the technique in which it works and its ability to reduce cancer cell levels to undetectable levels has impressed those in the field.

Chelsea Therapeutics International Ltd. (NASDAQ:CHTP) is up 17% today on the news concerning its drug candidate Northera. The pharmaceutical company revealed that clinical studies showed that Northera helps those suffering from Parkinson’s disease from halling down. The company aims to get the drug approved for the treatment of neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, which occurs when blood pressure falls when standing. The studies showed that falling fell by 60% on patients who had shown previous cases of falling down.

Container vessels focused company Diana Containerships Inc (NASDAQ:DCIX) plummeted to 7.30 today, down 8%, after it announced the price of its public offering. The 14.25 million shares of common stock was valued at 7.5$ per share. The capital is expected to be used to repay loan with DnB NOR Bank ASA, to pay for the acquisition costs of three containerships , and other working capital related purposes.

Other companies seeing lots of activity in mid-day trading on Friday include semiconductor company National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE:NSM) who is revealing its Q4 results and semiconductor company and Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MFLX) which is undergoing a capacity expansion.

Here is our look at the top gainers as of mid-day trading on June 9 2011. The companies seeing the highest percentage increase in price include AMERCO (NASDAQ:UHAL), Chimera Investment Corporation (NYSE:CIM), Cobalt International Energy Inc (NYSE:CIE), Elan Corporation (NYSE:ELN), CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF), Titan International (NYSE:TWI) and National Bank of Greece (NYSE:NBG). Read on for details on their recent surge.

Mid-Day Top Gainers June 9 2011

AMERCO (NASDAQ:UHAL) is up almost 10% today after the company announced its result for the fourth quarter. Amerco is the holding company for U-Haul- International, the DIY moving and storage company. The company turned the $8.2million net loss from last year to $10.2 million net earnings this year. The profit was due primarily to increased insurance premium and high demand for rental equipment.

The speciality finance company, Chimera Investment Corporation (NYSE:CIM), received a positive boost from Bank of America after the investment bank reiterated its Buy rating and maintained a $4.25 target. The stock had suffered in recent weeks with fear that homeowners would default on their mortgages. Analyst Daniel Furtado had downgraded the stock to ‘hold’ just as recently as May 24th but BoA insists that the market is over-reacting to weak economic data. The shares had declined 9% this week but was boosted as much as 5% in today’s session of trading.

Cobalt International Energy Inc (NYSE:CIE), the independent oil exploration and production company is up 5% today after a rough opening week that saw shares lose 10% in value. OPEC supply concerns have boosted crude oil futures and this is weighing positively on the Houston based company.

Elan Corporation (NYSE:ELN), which specializes in neuroscience-based biotechnology, saw its shares soar by nearly 7% today on possible takeover talks. Biogen is rumored to be the chief suitor for the company after it announced that it would be seeking deals to expand its sclerosis drugs segment. Biogen and Elan had worked together before with Tysabri (an MS drug).

Manufacturer of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer products, CF Industries Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CF) is up 4% today after a agricultural report shed positive light on the sector. The Agricultural Department estimated tight U.S. feed grain supplies and diminished corn acreage for 2011-12, sending fertilizer makers higher.

Other big gainers today include Titan International (NYSE:TWI), up 11%, the company manufactures wheels and tires as well as National Bank of Greece (NYSE:NBG), up 7% on Thursday’s morning session of trading.

That wraps up our look at the top gainers as of mid-day June 9th, be sure to stay tuned for further news on these mentioned companies.

Here is our look at the hot stocks as of mid-day trading on June 8 2011. The company’s seeing lots of activity include Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ:CIEN), Pharmasset, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRUS), Ulta Salon Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA), Layne Christensen Company (NASDAQ:LAYN), and Bob Evans Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:BOBE).

Mid-Day Hot Stocks June 8 2011

Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ:CIEN), provider of communications equipment, is down 15% today after the company announced losses that were even worse than analyst estimates. The second quarter losses shrunk due to diminished acquisition costs but third quarter revenue was below Wall Street expectations. This continues the trend of losses for the company who hasn’t been in the green in 2.5 years.

Pharmasset, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRUS), the pharmaceutical company which specializes in drugs to treat viral infections, brought an update to its hepatitis C drug. The company will test its drug as a stand-alone therapy and shorten the length of the treatment. Shares are trading up almost 5% in mid-day trading.

The beauty retailer Ulta Salon Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) is up 8% today. The company posted stronger than expected first quarter ’11 earnings beating analyst estimates by 6 cents per share. Robust guest count, unit expansion, brand strategies and marketing initiatives were among the factors cited for the double digit growth recorded in the top line.

Layne Christensen Company (NASDAQ:LAYN), provider of construction services, is up 14% in mid-day trading after the company announced its first quarter results. The company easily beat out analyst estimates with earnings of 66 cents per share ($13.1m), double the mark from a year earlier. The water infrastructure division saw a boost from start-up operations, acquisitions, and sale of factory.

Bob Evans Farms (NASDAQ:BOBE), known for their restaurants and packaged foods announced their fourth quarter results. The sales figures at established restaurants unexpectedly grew but earnings and revenue fell – shareholders reacted positively and led to a 9% surge as of this afternoon. Among the factors for lower earnings despite higher sales were increased costs in commodities and gas.

That wraps up the hot stocks seeing lots of activity as of mid-day June 8 2011. Stay tuned for further updates to Ciena Corporation (NASDAQ:CIEN), Pharmasset, Inc. (NASDAQ:VRUS), Ulta Salon Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA), Layne Christensen Company (NASDAQ:LAYN), and Bob Evans Farms, Inc. (NASDAQ:BOBE) as the day progresses.

Here’s our detailed look at the top gainers for June 7 2011. Companies which saw big jumps include Temple-Inland Inc. (NYSE:TIN), Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd (NYSE:QIHU), Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL), Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARIA), and Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWKS).

Top Gainers for June 7 2011

Temple-Inland (NYSE:TIN), the manufacturer of corrugated packaging and building products, saw its share rise by a whopping 40% after a takeover bid valued a $3.3 billion by International Paper (NYSE:IP). The offer was rejected, with the value of $30.6 a share seen as insufficient by shareholders. International Paper had hoped the acquisition would bolster its North American and Western Europe businesses as the packaging sector is heading for further consolidation.

Just two weeks removed from announcing first quarter net losses, Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd (NYSE:QIHU) shares got a positive boost from the news of a partnership with Netease (NASDAQ:NTES). Qihoo 360, who’s involved in the operation of internet services, will partner up with Chinese internet giant Netease to strengthen the safety and security of their email services. The partnership is expected to run deeper and provide an exchange of expertise and R&D between the two internet companies. Shares of Qihoo were up 17% on Tuesday.

Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL), who specializes in developing therapies for treatment of cancer, saw its shares jump by 12% after the news that its prostate cancer drug known as Cabozantinib proved to be effective in the fight against the disease. 108 patients were tested to see the effect of the drug during a 12 week period and results showed that risk of the prostate cancer progressing was reduced by 87%.

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ARIAD) – a biopharmaceutical company who develops drugs to treat diseases at a cellular level, also was greeted with a positive result in one of its clinical trials. Their SUCCEED evaluation (Phase III Sarcoma Multi-Center Clinical Evaluation of Ridaforolimus) to treat oral ridaforolimus was a success with a 28% reduction in the risk of progression or death. Shares climbed by 9.4% on Tuesday.

Chipmaker Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWKS) shares had jumped as high as 13 percent back in April when it announced a positive outlook which left investors in delight. Those gains fizzled out over the last month or so with acquisitions of Advanced Analogic and SiGe Semiconductor Inc. The company reaffirmed its outlook of 46 cents a share it gave in late April for the current quarter as the acquisitions are counted on to add to the earnings without delay. Skyworks shares were up 7.7% at the end of Tuesday’s session of trading.

That wraps up our look at the top gainers for June 7 2011 – be sure to check back for more updates on Temple-Inland Inc. (NYSE:TIN), Qihoo 360 Technology Co Ltd (NYSE:QIHU), Exelixis, Inc. (NASDAQ:EXEL), Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARIA), and Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ:SWKS) as well as our future daily insights on the top gainers in the markets.

As usual, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was at the centre of a wide range of news stories this week. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stocks ended the week at 351.54 (as of 3/25/2011).

Weekly News Roundup: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

Monday 21 March

It has been reported that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will launch MobileMe Free version soon.
According to reports from a trusted source, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is getting ready to launch a free version of its cloud based service. A revamped version of the paid one is also on the horizon.

It was also reported that the upcoming version of MobileMe will entirely be different from the current version.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) fans are waiting for an official statement from the company, because as usual, they are keeping their upcoming release very close to their chest.

Tuesday 22 March

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has sued Amazon over its App Store name.
The Mac Maker has sued Amazon for using its patented ‘App Store’ name on Amazon’s app store, claiming that Amazon has no rights to use ‘App Store.’

It was reported that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has filed suit against Amazon in the US District Court in California.

Earlier, Microsoft Corporation had petitioned the court to allow broader usage of ‘App Store’ as a generic term and not a brand.

Wednesday 23 March

The US Senators have asked Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to pull Police-evasion applications.
The Mac Maker has apps geared for everything and everyone, and some of them are not so well-received.

Recently, four U.S. senators have asked Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to remove an app from its App Store that could be used by drunk drivers to find and avoid police checkpoints set to catch drunk drivers.

The senators wrote that, “With more than 10,000 Americans dying in drunk-driving crashes every year, providing access to iPhone and iPad applications that alert users to DUI checkpoints is harmful to public safety. We know that your company shares our desire to end the scourge of drunk driving and we therefore would ask you to remove these applications from your store.”

Thursday 24 March

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has announced the departure of one of its top software engineers.
The Mac Maker said in an official statement made yesterday that Bertrand Serlet, a senior software engineer who had been a part of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) since 1997, is stepping down from the company.

Serlet said in a statement that, “I’ve worked with Steve for 22 years and have had an incredible time developing products at both NeXT and Apple, but at this point, I want to focus less on products and more on science.”

Friday 25 March

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been granted a number of new patents.
The latest patents granted to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) include the rights to an extended antenna that is expected to be used in the notebooks or iPads of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).

The Mac Maker has been stockpiling the rights for many next generation products or devices that are nonexistent at the moment, and has been battling with various rivals over existing patent issues.

Googles issues with the Chinese authorities continued this week, with disruption to Gmail users’ access to their email in the Middle Kingdom. Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) company shares ended the week at 579.74 (as of 3/25/2011).

Weekly News Roundup: Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)

Monday 21 March

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has blamed the Chinese government for its recent Gmail problems.
As The Northern Star pointed out in a recent article, many Gmail users have complained about recent hampered access to their email inboxes.

It was reported that the government intensified its internet censorship after certain elements of society attempted to spread the Middle Eastern ‘Jasmine Revolution’ in China via internet.

While commenting on ‘Access Interruption’ complaints from customers, Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) said that, “There is no technical issue on our side. We have checked extensively. This is a government blockage carefully designed to look like the problem is with Gmail.”

Tuesday 22 March

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has been fined by French regulators over privacy issues.
The search engine giant was fined for privacy violations, even after admitting that it made some mistakes while collecting data for online mapping.

According to reports, the French privacy agency has imposed a fine of $142,000, saying that Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has violated many privacy rules including multiple projects including the street view cams.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) had apologized for collecting email and other passwords from Wi-Fi networks.

Wednesday 23 March

A Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) executive has won a JFK award for courage after a show of bravery in Egypt.
Wael Ghonim, the Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) executive who became a part of the Egyptian revolution, has been selected for the annual John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

It was reported that Mr. Ghonim won the award for his contribution to the reform that inspired similar movements in other countries.

The award will be presented by Caroline Kennedy at the JFK Library and Museum on May 23.

Thursday 24 March

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has doodled on Magician Houdini’s birthday.
It is the 137th birthday of Houdini, the greatest of magicians, and the search engine giant paid tribute to the legend with a special Houdini doodle.

The magician is depicted handcuffed, performing his signature escape trick.

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Doodles have been celebrating various special days, paying tribute to legends and historic events in an exclusive way, a way that that helps millions across the globe to remember the rich heritage of the past.

Friday 25 March

Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has closed the Android 3.0 Honeycomb source code in order to prevent its unauthorized use on smart phones.
The search engine giant said in an official statement that the latest version of Android, which was designed for tablets, is not yet ready to be used in other devices and the company does not want the outside developers to experiment with it.

The device manufacturers will not be affected by the delay in public release.