Tech Stocks Rise After Payrolls Report (AAPL, GOOG, IBM, MSFT, INTC, TTWO)

Tech stocks responded positively to the easing of fears of a double-dip recession in the US. Investors heaved a sigh of relief after the Labor Department reported on Friday a lower-than-expected decline in non farm jobs. The government report said that non farm jobs had declined by 54,000 in August, which was at a much slower pace than was projected by economists. The tech stocks that recorded gains included some of the top names in the sector. Apple Inc AAPL rose 1.36% to $255.61 at 11:25 am. Google GOOG advanced 1.47% to $469.99. IBM IBM rose 1.10% to $126.41 and Microsoft MSFT was up 1.63% at $24.33. While Intel Corp INTC inched up 0.16% to $18.31, Take-Two Interactive Software TTWO jumped 10.06% to $9.74. TTWO shares were helped by the upbeat earning report released on Thursday. Read more from Benzinga's Markets.