Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of near-field communications chip designer NXP Semiconductors (Nasdaq: NXPI) got a clear signal this morning, jumping as high as 11.8% on heavy volume.

So what: Unsubstantiated rumor would have it that either Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), or Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) would be interested in buying NXP for something like $50 a share.

Now what: The scattered nature of this rumor makes it difficult to believe -- real "sources familiar with the matter" should be able to pinpoint who's doing the bidding, and anything less is just hot air.

That being said, NXP does own a golden goose in its NFC chip portfolio, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a real buyout offer materializing down the line. Read all about NXP's unique market position in this free report to see what I mean. But today's rumor doesn't look like the real deal.

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