Technology stocks rose on Friday after computer maker Dell Inc. gave a favorable earnings outlook in contrast to several gloomy forecasts by other bellwether tech companies this week. But the blue-chip Dow was little changed as oil prices rose further. NYMEX crude set a fresh record of $46 a barrel after a fire at an Indiana refinery and worries over supply disruptions in Iraq and Venezuela. Dell, the world's largest PC producer, met expectations when it posted quarterly earnings on Thursday and then gave a third-quarter outlook that was better-than-expected. It was the biggest boost to the technology-packed Nasdaq and the Standard & Poor's 500 index. "The price of energy still doesn't want to come down," said Jon Brorson, managing director of growth equities at Neuberger Berman. "But I think the Dell numbers have helped, and it's sort of calmed the waters for people to think they can jump in a little bit after the declines we've had. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 5.02 points, or 0.05 percent, at 9,809.57. The broader S&P 500 was up 0.51 point, or 0.05 percent, at 1,063.74. The Nasdaq Composite Index was up 5.19 points, or 0.3 percent, at 1,757.68. --MORE 1959 Local Time 1659 GMT
