Dell Inc. shares are likely to stay in focus on Friday evening after disappointing results from the personal computer maker left the shares battered during the regular session.

The reason for the failure of the tech sector to double-dip in March is because it was already gearing up for a potentially big fourth quarter thanks to Windows 7.

Hewlett-Packard’s (HPQ) fourth-quarter earnings reflect its continued effort to expand through acquisition and deliver end-to-end data services.The company is scheduled to release earnings Monday after the market close. A conference call will be held at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.In a pre-announcement Hewlett-Packard said it expects to earn $0.99 a share compared with a profit of $0.84 for the same period a year ago. Excluding one-time charges the company said it would have earned $1.14 a share or $0.01 above the consensus estimate.Earlier this month Hewlett-Packard said it had agreed to buy 3Com (COMS) a networking equipment maker for $2.7 ...

Investors react to Dell's weak earnings and a move to scoop up the dollar and move away from riskier investments.

With the S&P 500 Index headed to a mild weekly decline, the information-technology sector has borne the brunt of the damage -- but one analyst sees the sector recapturing its front-running status going into the end of the year.