By Rex Crum, MarketWatch
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Apple Inc. took the spotlight
Thursday, rallying on news of a much-awaited deal with China
Mobile, while the broader tech sector got a boost from gains in
semiconductor shares.
Apple (AAPL) was up 1.2% to $571.97 after China Mobile, the
world's biggest carrier, finally signed a deal with the Silicon
Valley giant to offer iPhones on its network, which has more than
700 million subscribers. Apple's stock reached a 52-week high of
$575.14.
The tech sector also got a lift from chip stocks, led by Intel
Corp. (INTC), which was up 1%, one the top gainers on the Dow Jones
Industrial Average (DJI) . The Dow was down 33 points. Advanced
Micro Devices (AMD) was up 1.3%, while Broadcom Corp. (BRCM) added
more than 3%.
But the tech sector was weighed down by losses in shares of H-P
(HPQ) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) Microsoft and H-P were each down
about 1%.
The Nasdaq Composite Index (RIXF) was last down 0.1% to 4,035.
The Morgan Stanley High Tech 35 Index (MSH) was off a fraction,
while the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index (SOX) edged higher by
0.6%.
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