Stocks Resume Rally, Dell Boosts Techs By Megan Davies NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rallied further on Friday, led by computer maker Dell Inc. (DELL.O: Quote , Profile , Research ) , a day after it reported a higher quarterly profit and issued an optimistic forecast. Oil prices resuming their decline also helped stocks in late afternoon trading. High oil prices generally depress stock prices due to their impact on consumer spending and corporate profit margins. NYMEX crude for December delivery (CLZ4: Quote , Profile , Research ) slipped 10 cents to settle at $47.32 a barrel -- erasing session gains that had sent it above the $48 mark. The Dow Jones industrial average was up 52 points, or 0.50 percent, at 10,522. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was up 8 points, or 0.65 percent, at 1,181 -- just below a fresh 52-week high at 1,182.06. The technology-laced Nasdaq Composite Index was up 14 points, or 0.68 percent, at 2,075. "Dell has been the leader of the day and all the tech stocks are acting well," said Todd Leone, head of listed trading at S.G. Cowen. "And oil is basically flat for the day -- which is good because it's come off a lot. We continue to see people pour money into the market.." The gains added to Thursday's rally, when the S&P 500 climbed to its highest close in three years. The U.S. stock market has been on an upwards path since the election. Traders also were encouraged by economic news on Friday, with two separate reports showing U.S. consumer sentiment improved in November and retail sales rose in October. One of these reports, from the Commerce Department, said retail sales rose by 0.2 percent in October after a sharp drop in auto sales was offset by solid growth in other areas. Dell supported the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the Standard & Poor's 500 index as it rose 8 percent to $40.18, a day after it surprised Wall Street with a better outlook for the coming year. Pixar Animation Studios Inc. (PIXR.O: Quote , Profile , Research ) helped the Nasdaq, rising 9 percent to $86.95 after it posted higher third-quarter profits on Thursday, driven by foreign video sales of last year's hit "Finding Nemo." But insurance stocks fell. New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer on Friday filed suit against Universal Life Resources, charging the life and disability insurance broker with fraud and antitrust violations for steering business to certain insurers in return for lucrative payoffs. Shares of many insurance brokers and carriers declined, with the Morgan Stanley health-care payer index down 0.39 percent. "Spitzer came out and knocked them (the insurers) down again. The group is off on that reason," Leone said. And Agilent Technologies Inc. (A.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) fell almost 13 percent to $22.45 after Banc of America Securities cut its rating on the electronics testing and equipment maker to "sell" from "buy" following a weaker-than-expected forecast from the company. Quelle "Stocks Resume Rally, Dell Boosts Techs" : reuters.com Main page for "Stocks Resume Rally, Dell Boosts Techs"