The Battle Road Tech Index™ rose 3.8 percent for the week ended March 5, 2010, closing at 1670. For the week, 23 of the 25 Index components rose in value. This was the largest positive move for the index since mid-December, with broad-based gains, yet surprisingly little notable news. Year-to-date, the index is down 0.6 percent, having started at a value of 1680.

Akamai (AKAM), eBay (EBAY), and Research in Motion (RIMM) were notable movers for the week:

Shares of Akamai (NASDAQ: AKAM, $29.20) rose 11 percent this week riding positive press. News broke early this week that Akamai won a contract with Netflix to deliver video for its streaming service. Netflix is emerging as a major provider of premium content streamed to consumers’ computers at their convenience. The win cements Akamai’s position as the leader in video delivery despite increasing competition. Given the competitive win and recently strong results, investors view competition as less of a threat today.

eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY, $24.63) rose 7.3 percent this week. The company rose on better than expected jobless claims that came out today. The thinking is that eBay will benefit once the US emerges from the current recession, and people will have more disposable income to spend on the sort of items one normally would find in eBay’s Marketplace. Additionally, the company is flush with cash from its sale of Skype, as well as strong cash flow, and could utilize it to make a large acquisition, or a few smaller acquisitions that complement the company’s current offerings in Marketplaces and Payments. We view eBay as one of the leading eCommerce retailers, poised to take advantage of the coming economic upturn.