NeoPhotonics Corp. (NPTN)

It's the best groups that are getting hit which tells us that it's just some routine profit taking.

I tend to focus more on individual stocks and my job right now is to develop a list of names that I want to follow more closely as this action develops.

Here are seven factors the market can be thankful for as the holiday week kicks off.

AAOI remains green into its earnings after the close on Wednesday.

The deal drives home the importance of cutting-edge optical component and module technology to networking hardware vendors. It also might strengthen Cisco's sales pitch to cloud giants.

Analog chip suppliers, optical component firms and chip equipment makers could be among the firms that see M&A interest if trade tensions continue to ease.

On the whole, tech stocks had a solid earnings season. But many richly-valued names sputtered despite releasing decent numbers.

Though tech M&A activity has cooled a bit, it certainly hasn't evaporated. Here's a look at the buyout prospects for some companies whose names are in the M&A rumor mill.

Amazon and Google likely want a minority stake in Toshiba's flash unit rather than full ownership. Deals like that could be useful as cloud giants keep growing their spending.

Though Finisar and a couple of other component vendors have offered disappointing outlooks, strong demand from cloud giants should continue propping up the industry.

A string of downbeat earnings reports suggests weak telecom capital spending will take a toll on many companies. That includes some optical component high-flyers.

The big issue is if the market can build on Friday's jobs good news.

The market action is solid today as my hunt for individual stock picks continues.

One of those days where we are digesting the recent action.

We are still a bit extended and it isn't surprising to see a pause.

When searching for stocks that trade below net current asset value, beware of value traps.