RENEE MONTAGNE, host: NPRs business news starts with sunny news from a high-tech bellwether.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: Hewlett-Packard says it made healthy profits in the most recent quarter and predicted strong sales for the coming year. The worlds biggest computer manufacturer says profits for the three-month period, which includes holiday sales, rose 25 percent over last year. Computer sales were up and so were printer sales. Some analysts see this as a sign that technology spending is on the rise, though cost-cutting also helped boost Hewlett-Packards profits.
Hewlett-Packard says its profit rose 25 percent in the latest quarter, topping forecasts. It was helped by cost-cutting and a stronger showing in its personal-computer division.