Benzinga's Microcap Movers for Thursday January 5, 2012

Below are highlights from Benzinga's daily coverage of microcap securities making big moves:

Shares of Xoma

, the Berkeley, CA biopharmaceutical company, rose 0.81% Thursday on twice the average daily volume. XOMA announced Thursday its Board of Directors has appointed John Varian as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Varian has been serving as the Interim Chief Executive since August 31, 2011, and has been a member of the Board since December 2008. The Board's decision followed a full executive search, which identified several additional qualified candidates. XOMA also announced it has implemented significant organizational and structural changes that are designed to sharpen the Company's focus on value-creating opportunities led by gevokizumab and the Company's unique antibody discovery and development capabilities. XOMA plans to reduce personnel by 84 positions, or 34%, including 50 positions to be eliminated immediately and the remainder by the end of the first quarter of this year. XOMA shares traded Thursday in a range of $1.14 to $1.38 and closed at $1.25.

Shares of Hauppauge Digital

, the Long Island, NY manufacturer and marketer of analog and digital TV tuner products for the personal computer, rose over 15% Thursday on 8 times the average daily volume. There was chatter that the company may make a major product announcement at the CES show in Las Vegas next week. Benzinga was not able to get confirmation of the announcement from Hauppauge Digital. Hauppauge Digital shares traded Thursday in a range of $0.71 to $0.93, closing at $0.89.

Shares of JBI (

), the Ontario, Canada green energy company, rose 46.51% Thursday on 23 times the average daily volume. On Wednesday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, announced it filed an action in federal court in Massachusetts against JBI, its current CEO, John Bordynuik and former CFO, Ronald Baldwin, Jr. The action alleges that the defendants engaged in a scheme to commit securities and accounting fraud by reporting materially false and inaccurate financial information on the financial statements of JBI for two reporting periods during 2009. The company responded to the SEC charges on Wednesday after the close of trading. The press release stated: "The allegations in the complaint concern legacy accounting issues that have since been corrected." JBI shares traded Thursday in a range of $0.52 to $1.40, closing at $1.26.