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: Trident Microsystems (Nasdaq: TRID) continued yesterday's 11% slide with an 18% plunge in intraday trading today.

So what: The slow slide on Tuesday happened because rival Zoran (Nasdaq: ZRAN) reported a bad quarter. This selling wave was triggered by Trident's own negative report.

Now what: The market for advanced TV sets and set-top boxes is soft at the moment, and set for further disappointment in the fourth quarter, which is why Zoran and Trident are suffering. However, both Trident and gadget networker Atheros (Nasdaq: ATHR) are talking about brighter days ahead after this temporary malaise, and fellow electronics chip maker Silicon Image (Nasdaq: SIMG) is doing just fine. You might want to look at this drop as a chance to pick up Trident shares on the ultra-cheap.

Interested in more info on Trident? Add it to your watchlist.