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 e-commerce technologist Digital River (Nasdaq: DRIV) jumped sky-high this morning, rising as much as 11% on a sudden spike of very heavy trading volume.

So what: Digital River isn't doing much to stir up news or investor interest today, but rival GSI Commerce (Nasdaq: GSIC) just got a very generous buyout offer from eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY). I think it's fair to say that investors are hoping for a similar exit strategy for Digital River, too.

Now what: The company certainly has buyout potential along the same lines as 2010 acquisition targets Salary.com and Internet Brands. However, the stock is richly valued when compared with GSI Commerce, and Digital River prides itself on a newfound yen for diversification, so I'd be surprised to see a bid from any of Digital River's big-name customers. A merger with an industry peer or a private-equity takeout seem far more likely.

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