Following the Market

The Bloomberg Orange County Index, a weighted index designed to measure the performance of major Orange County stocks, fell Tuesday and Wednesday following an overall market downturn.

Closing values during the last 12 months:

Wednesday’s close 128.15

Losing Stocks

Many Orange County stocks followed Wednesday’s market plunge. Companies with the largest percent decrease in value:

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Company Location Product/Service % Loss TouchStone Huntington Computer 14.3 Software Beach maintenance software Biolase Technology San Clemente Medical laser products 13.6 Quality Systems Tustin Computer systems 10.0 Cortex Irvine Pharmaceuticals 9.1 Pharmaceuticals Emulex Costa Mesa Computer network systems 8.6 Day Runner Fullerton Personal planners 8.3 Wiz Technology San Juan Capistrano Software 8.1 Capistrano Presley Cos. Newport Beach Real estate development 7.1 Microsemi Corp. Santa Ana Semiconductor products 6.5 MTI Technology Anaheim Computer data 6.4 storage devices

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Note: List includes only stocks that sell above $2 per share.

Source: Bloomberg News Service; Researched by JANICE L. JONES / Los Angeles Times