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Computer maker Dell Inc reported a stronger-than-expected profit, but warned of volatile global currencies and components shortages, and the company's shares stumbled in after-hours trade.

Hewlett-Packard Co's quarterly results beat expectations and it raised its full-year earnings outlook on demand for personal computers and servers as well as a resurgence in its printing business.

HSINCHU, Taiwan May 17 - AU Optronics Corp, Taiwan's No. 2 LCD maker, said an LCD panel shortage is likely to last into the second half of this year on robust demand for PCs and TVs, even though fears linger about a weak euro.

IBM said it expects its profit to roughly double to more than $20 a share by 2015, helped by growth in emerging markets as well as the company's push into high-margin technology services and software businesses.

IBM said it expects its profit to nearly double to over $20 a share by 2015, helped by the company's push into profitable technology services and software businesses.

U.S. drugmakers Pfizer Inc and Merck & Co posted better-than-expected first-quarter profit and revenue on Tuesday, but Merck gave a 2010 earnings forecast that could fall short of Wall Street's target.

Microsoft Corp beat analysts' estimates with a 35 percent jump in quarterly profit, lifted by sales of Windows 7, but its shares fell more than 3 percent as investors expected the company to benefit more from a recovering technology sector.

Johnson & Johnson and Swiss rival Novartis Holding AG reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, but the results did not suggest accelerating growth for the drugmakers.

Lenovo Group, the world's No.4 PC brand, said mobile Internet products will account for 10-20 percent of revenue in five years, as it embarks on a new drive into wireless computing.

Google Inc shares fell more than 7 percent on Friday after its quarterly results came in short of expectations, leading some analysts to cut price targets on concerns about growth.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc reported better-than-expected first-quarter revenue as PC and server spending rebounded, but investors cashed out of a rally triggered by stellar Intel Corp results.

Global personal computer shipments rose sharply in the first quarter, according to industry estimates released on Wednesday, as businesses finally began to spend again on technology equipment.

U.S. tech stocks sprang higher on Wednesday after strong earnings and forecasts from Intel Corp further galvanized hopes the beleaguered technology sector's recovery was underway.

Dell Inc said on Thursday several of its former employees had been told they may face some sort of action by financial regulators related to a long-running probe of the PC maker's accounting.

To get accurate projections for Intel Corp , Wedbush Morgan analyst Patrick Wang often finds himself hopping on a plane to Asia.

Dell Inc on Wednesday announced a new series of servers designed for large cloud computing environments.

World number three PC maker Dell expects revenues in China, its second largest market, to near $5 billion this year, chief executive Michael Dell said after launching a services business in the country.

AT&T Inc will start selling Palm Inc's mobile phones in a few months, Palm said on Monday, as it looks to expand distribution and raise consumer awareness of its phones.

Dell Inc, the world's third-largest PC maker, has filed a lawsuit against Sharp Corp, Hitachi Ltd, Toshiba Corp and two other companies for alleged price fixing of LCD displays.

China's Lenovo, the world's No.4 personal computer maker, said it will develop more products this year for the mobile Internet, attempting to gain ground after a late start into the hot smartphone market.

When Dell Inc reported its fourth-quarter results last month, the announcement included a surprising figure -- an 81 percent jump in the PC maker's China sales during the quarter.

Taiwan's Acer Inc, the world's No.2 PC brand, aims to grow in Germany this year and is off to a good start with first-quarter sales above the 2009 period, the head of its German unit told Reuters.

Dell, the world's No. 3 PC seller, is looking for acquisitions to bolster its consumer, small and medium business that accounts for almost half of the company's total sales.

The broad U.S. stock market rose in another light trading session on Monday due to rising shares in the tech sector and target firms linked to a flurry of mergers and acquisitions deals.

U.S. businesses continued to postpone financing new investments in their operations in January, but delinquencies among existing borrowers stabilized and outright defaults fell.

Shares of Dell Inc fell on Friday, as investors showed their frustration with the computer maker's margin performance for the January quarter.

U.S. stock index futures fell, pointing to a weaker start for Wall Street on Friday after the U.S. Federal Reserve raised an emergency lending rate it charges banks.

Dell Inc's quarterly gross margin missed Wall Street expectations, hurt by sales of lower-priced personal computers for consumers and a rise in costs for memory chips and other components.

Dell Inc reported higher-than-expected quarterly profit and revenue on strong sales of its notebook computers, though its gross margin was slightly below analysts' forecasts.