Tech stocks continue to rally

Investors newly enthusiastic about tech stocks extended the sector's rally in the United States today after Dell Computer became the second big high-tech firm in as many days to issue a positive earnings outlook.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 16.71 to 1,597.52. It was up as much as 60 points before giving back some ground while the Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped 2.66 to 1,069.62.