Stocks climbed at today's opening after Dell Computer stood by its quarterly targets, brightening the mood on Wall Street further after a solid rally in the prior session.
High-tech shares were in the lead, and the Nasdaq Composite Index sprinted 23.03 points, or 1.46 per cent, higher to 1,603.84 - building on Wednesday's rise of nearly 6 per cent, its biggest percentage gain since April.
The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 22.07 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 9,145.85; the broader Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 4.21 points, or 0.39 per cent, to 1,076.49.
Dell reaffirmed its quarterly sales and earnings guidance, saying it was winning new customers and successfully managing operating expenses.
Dell's comments, along with those from Cisco Systems the day before, overshadowed a slew of profit warnings from other companies.
Stocks soared on Wednesday after high-tech bellwether Cisco maintained its financial targets and President Bush called for up to $75 billion in additional stimulus measures to pump up the economy.
