The Nasdaq Composite Index rose for the fifth time in six days on optimism Intel Corp. will signal the worst is over for semiconductor companies during a meeting with analysts after exchanges close today. The Nasdaq advanced 15.24, or 0.7 percent, to 2232.97, giving it a gain of 7.7 percent the past six sessions.

Boeing Co. inspectors have discovered intentional wire damage on at least seven Boeing 737s at a company assembly plant in Renton, Wash., the company confirmed to CNN Thursday. The damage was found during routine service testing over the past two weeks. Boeing says it notified the FAA of the sabotage Tuesday.

The technology sector has recaptured Wall Street's attention – at least for now – as investors Wednesday weigh company forecasts for the rest of the year and reports of further job cuts.Early signs pointed to a modest advance at the start of trading. The Nasdaq-100 futures pushed ahead, indicating a positive open for the Nasdaq market. Standard & Poor's futures were little changed, hinting at a flat start for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones industrial average.

Real estate on your computer desktop is about to become a lot more valuable. “They [Microsoft] want to try to force consumers to use their stuff instead of AOL’s, EarthLink’s or anybody else’s stuff,” says Barry Schuler, chief executive of the America Online unit of AOL Time Warner Inc. “It makes it harder for consumers to find things that they want. We think they are going to hate it.”

A federal judge shut down the trading of copyrighted music on Napster Inc. today, saying the online company was encouraging “wholesale infringing” against the music industry. Both lawyers for Napster and the recording industry made their cases today. The company’s lawyers say Napster lets music fans share material. The record industry says it’s copyright infringement. The Recording Industry Association of America wants a trial over whether the company violates copyright law.