NEW YORK, Feb 13 - U.S. stocks are poised to open higher on Friday after computer maker Dell Inc. posted higher quarterly earnings and said it sees its profit in the current quarter in line with Wall Street expectations. Also in focus is AT&T Wireless as the world's top wireless operator Vodafone Group Plc and U.S rival Cingular are poised to go head-to-head in a $30 billion-plus battle to take control of AT&T Wireless just hours before a bid deadline on Friday. "I think the Dell news was a little bit of a relief for people," said Rick Meckler, president of investment firm LibertyView Capital Management. "There's been some concern about the PC market in general and whether prices have gotten a little bit ahead of themselves in technology. He said the market is also focusing on merger activity.
"The main focus of the market continues to be on mergers," Meckler said. "It's looking for the next potential merger candidate and looking at whether bidders in a few companies will increase their bids." Equity index futures pointed to a higher open. Standard & Poor's 500 stock index futures for March were up 3 points, while Nasdaq futures for the same month rose 6 points. Dow industrials futures gained 22 points. Key economic data will come early on Friday. At 8:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) investors will get a report on the U.S. trade deficit, which Wall Street expects to widen. Also at 8:30 a.m., the Labor Department will release data on January import and export prices. At 9:45 a.m. (1445 GMT) the University of Michigan's will issue its preliminary February consumer sentiment report. It is expected to fall compared with January. British-based Vodafone is putting the final touches on a bid for AT&T Wireless as the deadline looms, but talks will go down to the wire, one source close to the situation told . AT&T Wireless shares were trading at $12 on the INET electronic brokerage system, up from their close at $11.67 on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. Dell, the second-biggest personal computer maker on Thursday after the closing bell said quarterly net income rose 24 percent as demand rose for its most profitable products, such as server computers, notebook computers and data storage systems. It also forecast profit and revenue for the current fiscal first quarter that was in line with analysts' expectations. It said it expects steady growth in technology spending this year. Dell shares rose to $34.15 on INET from their regular session close of $33.57 on the Nasdaq on Thursday. In Europe, shares were little changed, unable to launch a fresh assault on 18-month highs as caution about earnings for the current year tempered solid 2003 results.
Overnight in Japan, stocks ended higher on Friday, with sentiment helped by a hefty gain in Softbank Corp. <9984.T>, a favorite of small investors, and domestic-oriented issues such as property firms also in demand. U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as investors locked in gains from the previous session after disappointing jobless claims data and lackluster earnings news. The Dow closed down 43.63 points, or 0.41 percent, at 10,694.07. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> ended down 5.65 points, or 0.49 percent, at 1,152.11. The technology-focused Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> finished the session down 16.06 points, or 0.77 percent, at 2,073.60.///