Today had the markings of a good day, but for obvious reasons, +5.7% GDP in Q4 was only so high because Q$-2008 was so awful. We continued to see technology stocks and the broader market sell off on chart and technical levels despite what are solid earnings. The real issue today may be Washington D.C. and high valuations after so many stocks have doubled, tripled, or risen even more off of lows. This selling of everything feels like the bears might be taking back at least some control after literally have no vote for more than 10 months.

Here are today's closing bell levels:

Dow 10,102.55 -17.91 (-0.18%)
S&P 500 1,073.87 -10.66 (-0.98%)
Nasdaq 2,147.35 -31.65 (-1.45%)

Top Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Top Stock and Market Rumors

Here are some highlights from this past week's earnings coverage from BloggingStocks:

• Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE: ALU) reported its fifth straight quarterly loss and lowered its outlook.
• Anadigics Inc. (NASDAQ: ANAD) beat Q1 expectations and raised its Q2 guidance.
• AuthenTec Inc. (NASDAQ: AUTH) Q1 revenues jumped 67% on new product offerings.
• CBS Corp. (NYSE: CBS) posted better-than-expected Q1 results and raised its dividend.
• Cognex Corp. (NASDAQ: CGNX) beat Q1 expectations and lifted its outlook.
• Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) posted soild Q1 results on high-speed internet/digital phone strength.
• DreamWorks Animation Inc. (NYSE: DWA) earnings and revenues soared in the first quarter.
• Eastman Kodak Co. (NYSE: EK) narrowed its Q1 loss but missed earnings estimates.
• IAC/InterActivCorp (NASDAQ: IACI) Q1 profits fell but met analsts' expectations.
• LSI Corp. (NYSE: LSI) beat Q1 expectations and raised its guidance for the next quarter.
• NetSuite Inc. (NASDAQ: N) narrowed its loss on a surge in Q1 revenue.
• Omniture Inc. (NASDAQ: OMTR) Q1 revenue jumped 136% on acquisitions.
• RadioShack Corp. (NYSE: RSH) just beat low Q1 expectations on lower demand and narrower margins.
• SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) earnings for the first quarter fell short of analysts' expectations.

For Corporate America millions are lost because of lost laptops and data breaches (not to mention the reputational damage). But there are companies, such as AuthenTec (NASDAQ: AUTH), which develops security chips for devices and PCs (using fingerprint authentication), that are helping things out.

It's a growth business, and that fact can be seen with the company's Q1 report. Revenues spiked 67% to $15.5 million and gross margins jumped 3.5% to 49.6%. Basically, the company is moving its product mix to premium offerings.

More importantly, AuthenTec continues to be a major innovator in its sector, launching some new products. For example, the company has more than 60 filed and pending US patents.

AuthenTec is also seeking opportunities to purchase innovative technologies. One deal is for EzValidation, which has software for fingerprint authentication. And the price tag was only $250,000.

Going into Q2, the company expects revenues of $17.2 million to $17.8 million and non-GAAP earnings are forecast to range from $0.02 to $0.03 per share.

Based on the results, AuthenTec's shares climbed 12% to $13.50 Tuesday.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook (www.mergerbook.com) and is also a principal in Averiware, which provides an ERP system to small and midsize businesses.

No doubt, Facebook is one of the internet's hottest startups. The company has raised gobs of venture capital, has deals with companies like Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and is often rumored to go public or be bought out.

The company's founder, Mark Zuckerberg, is just in his early twenties, fresh from Harvard. Over the past few months, several of his recent classmates have made claims that they are the real owners of the Facebook concept.

Such disputes are very common for early stage companies. And it's also common for these companies to be sloppy in protecting themselves from legal claims.

So what can be done?

AuthenTec (NASDAQ: AUTH), which develops semiconductors for fingerprint authentication, went public in late June. Since 1998, the company has shipped over 15 million of its sensors.

I had a chance to interview the company's CEO and co-founder, F. Scott Moody.

Q: "Could you provide some background on the company?"

A: "AuthenTec is a fabless mixed-signal semiconductor company and the leading provider of biometric fingerprint sensors for PC products and cell phones. We are really the first company in our specific market space to launch a successful IPO. Other companies in the general space of 'biometrics' have all focused on the government end market, specifically trying to catch the bad guy, if you will. We are the first to target the volume consumer, enterprise and commercial markets focused more on personal security, privacy and convenience, whether at home or in the office. Our focus is on small, low-cost fingerprint sensors that are integrated into laptops – where they are used primarily for security and password replacement – and into cell phones and smartphones – where they secure the device, unlock mobile payment capabilities and provide user navigation (the sensor can be used like a joystick for scrolling, menu navigation or even gaming).

Semiconductor IPOs have been hit-or-miss over the years, but that's not stopping AuthenTec, which recently filed to go public.

The company develops mixed-signal semiconductors that allow for fingerprint authentication sensors. The company has shipped over 15 million sensors and is integrated in over 150 laptops, desktops and peripherals. There are even 6 million mobile phones with AuthenTec chips.

The company has more than 100 customers, including biggies like Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), Hitachi Ltd. (NYSE:HIT), LG Electronics and Toshiba.

AuthenTec also has great timing. In light of recent security breaches, the company's technologies should be a big help.

And, the company is growing like a weed. Revenues increased from $19.2 million in 2005 to $33.2 million in 2006.

That should get the attention of investors.

The lead underwriter is Lehman Brothers and the proposed ticker symbol is "AUTH." You can find the filing at the SEC website.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.