Canadian Solar (CSIQ) shares are down sharply this morning after the company said Q1 gross margin would be below its previous forecast largely due to currency issues.

For the quarter, the company now expects to ship 189 to 191 MW of modules, up from previous guidance of 180 to 190 MW. But the company also said it now sees gross margin of 13% to 13.5%, down from a previous forecast for margins in the mid teens. CSIQ said it expects a net foreign exchange loss for the quarter of $18 million to $20 million due to depreciation of the Euro against the dollar in the quarter.

CFO Arthur Chien said in a statement that the company in the quarter “did not have adequate currency hedging to cover our Euro exposure.”

The company said it expects Q2 gross margin to be comparable to Q1, with a focus on supply cost control, internal process improvement and product pricing adjustments.

CSIQ this morning is down $2.40, or 11.3%, to $18.93.

Article courtesy of BARRONS.com: Tech Trader Daily

Kulicke & Soffa (KLIC) late Tuesday said it expects to report revenue for its fiscal second quarter ended April 3 of about $153 million; the company also said it expects June quarter revenue of about $205 million. The Street had been expecting $146.4 million for the March quarter – and $143.1 million for the June quarter.

CEO Scott Kulicke said in a statement that it is seeing “unprecedented demand for both ball bonders and wedge bonders,” tools used by the chip industry.

In late trading, KLIC jumped $1.36, or 17.3%, to $9.22.

Article courtesy of BARRONS.com: Tech Trader Daily

Cirrus Logic (CRUS) this morning said it now sees revenue for its fiscal fourth quarter ended March 27 of $62.6 million, up 87% from a year ago, and above previous guidance of $55 million to $59 million. The chip company sees $40.5 million in revenue from audio products and $22.1 million from energy products. Cirrus expects gross margin in the quarter of 56%-57%.

The company will report full results on April 27.

CRUS in early trading is up 48 cents, or 5.1%, to $9.85.

Article courtesy of BARRONS.com: Tech Trader Daily

AOL (AOL) today told employees that it it will sell or shutdown the social network Bebo – and that the company will make the decision by the end of May, according to PaidContent.org. AOL had acquired Bebo in March 2008 for $850 million.

In a memo to staff, AOL Ventures EVP Jon Brod told staff that the company can’t afford to invest in Bebo:

“The strategy we set in May 2009 leverages our core strengths and scale in quality content, premium advertising and consumer applications, positioning us for the next phase of growth of the Internet. As we evaluate our portfolio of brands against our strategy, it is clear that social networking is a space with heavy competition, and where scale defines success.

Bebo, unfortunately, is a business that has been declining and, as a result, would require significant investment in order to compete in the competitive social networking space. AOL is not in a position at this time to further fund and support Bebo in pursuing a turnaround in social networking.

AOL is committed to working quickly to determine if there are any interested parties for Bebo and the company’s current expectation is to complete our strategic evaluation by the end of May 2010.”

Article courtesy of BARRONS.com: Tech Trader Daily

Microvision (MVIS) shares are up sharply after the company said it received an $8.5 million order for its ultra-miniature PicoP laser projection display engine from “a consumer electronics customer,” which it did not name. The company said the projector will be embedded in a high-end mobile media player for release in late 2010.

The company said this is the first purchase order for the product.

MVIS is up 44 cents, or 14.6%, to $3.46.

Article courtesy of BARRONS.com: Tech Trader Daily

SkillSoft (SKIL) this morning said it has agreed to a revised $11.25-a-share cash buyout bid from a group of private investors which includes Berkshire Partners, Advent International and Bain Capital. The new bid for the on-demand e-learning company is up from a previous offer of $11.80 a share.

SKIL is up 79 cents, or 7.7%, to $11.11.

Article courtesy of BARRONS.com: Tech Trader Daily

Investment firm Elliott Associates this morning said it “welcomed” Novell’s (NOVL) decision to “conduct a sale of the company.” Elliott has bid $5.75-a-share in cash for Novell; the company over the weekend rejected the offer as too low, but said it had hired J.P. Morgan to consider strategic alternatives, including a potential sale of the company.

Here’s Elliott’s statement:

“We welcome the Board’s decision to conduct a sale of the company, which we believe is the best way to maximize shareholder value. Our goal is to acquire Novell, and our cash offer to acquire all of the company’s shares for $5.75 per share provides shareholders with a substantial premium of 109% to the company’s equity value net of cash on January 4, the day before we commenced actively acquiring Novell shares. We look forward to the process and to actively pursuing an acquisition of the Company.”

NOVL this morning is up 28 cents, or 5%, to $5.92.

Article courtesy of BARRONS.com: Tech Trader Daily

Trina Solar (TSL) this morning said it priced an offering of 7.9 million American depositary shares at $20.25 apiece, slightly below yesterday’s close at $20.54.

Trina will receive net proceeds of $152.6 million, or $175.6 million if underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full. The company will use proceeds to expand manufacturing facilities for solar cells and modules, for R&D, for downstream projects and for general corporate purposes.

Trina, which yesterday fell $2.54, or 11%, to $20.54, on the company’s announcement of plans for the offering, this morning is down 39 cents, or 1.9%, to $20.15.

Article courtesy of BARRONS.com: Tech Trader Daily

Finisar (FNSR) this afternoon said it filed to sell 7.2 million common shares. The optical networking products company said the offering provides for an over-allotment option of 1,080,000 shares, including 148,907 from selling holders.

In an SEC filing, the company said a portion of the proceeds could be used for repayment of outstanding debt or for acquisitions, and for working capital.

FNSR in late trading is down 31 cents, or 2.1%, to $14.50.

Article courtesy of BARRONS.com: Tech Trader Daily