AlHijjah 20, 1434, Oct 25, 2013, SPA -- Strong earnings from technology companies are pushing the stock market higher Friday. AP reported that Microsoft has led the Dow Jones industrial average higher after reporting higher sales of tablet computers. The Dow was up 41 points, or 0.3 percent, at 15,551 at 11:30 a.m. (1530 GMT). The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up four points, or 0.3 percent, at 1,756, two points above the record close it reached on Tuesday. The Nasdaq composite rose 14 points, or 0.4 percent, to 3,943. Microsoft beat analysts' forecasts for revenue and earnings, giving hope to investors that the company's shift to devices and services from PC-based software will be successful. Microsoft rose $2.13 to $35.85, a gain of 6 percent, after reporting a 17 percent increase in third quarter net income. Amazon.com was up $29.60, or 9 percent, to $362 as investors continue to shrug off its losses. The online retailer reported that revenue rose 24 percent to $13.8 billion in the third quarter, more than financial analysts had expected. Zynga surged 13 percent after the Internet gaming company reported it had cut losses in the third quarter. The maker of "Farmville" and "Mafia Wars" is trying to appeal more to users of smartphones and tablet computers under a new CEO. All three major indexes are up more than 18 percent since the start of the year as a slowly recovering U.S. economy, higher corporate earnings and continued economic stimulus from the Federal Reserve encourage investors to keep buying. The tech-heavy Nasdaq is at a 13-year high. -- SPA 19:48 LOCAL TIME 16:48 GMT تغريد
