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 builder NXP Semiconductors (Nasdaq: NXPI) jumped as much as 13.7% today on fairly heavy volume.

So what: Several analyst firms just released updates on the semiconductor market, often echoing the same prediction of slower growth going forward but steady gains nonetheless. At least one of these reports, from CAPS All-Star Barclays Capital, held up NXP as a favorite stock as the NFC stuff continues to gain momentum.

Now what: Handset makers from Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI) to Nokia (NYSE: NOK) are adopting NFC tech as if it's the next big thing in mobile computing, often ordering chips from niche leader NXP. The one notable holdout among leading handset designers is Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), whose iPhone 5 isn't expected to support that mobile payment platform. But Cupertino has always preferred to introduce new features only after perfecting them. NXP is one of those soon-to-be-ubiquitous mobile plays that jump every time we're reminded of their existence, and Barclays certainly did that.

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