To: Oleg Sogolov who wrote (8022 ) 4/4/2001 6:20:08 PM From: 2MAR$ Respond to of 19633 Be very nice if ARBA rises tomorrow a bit...very nice indeed. Tech stocks rise, Dell offers ray of light (Updates shares prices, adds companies) NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) - Technology stocks headed higher in after-hours trading on Wednesday after high-tech heavyweight Dell Computer Corp. <DELL.O> reaffirmed its first-quarter forecast and offered a breath of fresh air to investors buried under corporate profit warnings. Dell rose to $23-5/8 in extended hours from its regular close of $22-3/16 on the Nasdaq. Dell said it was maintaining its forecast for its fiscal first quarter, which ends in about a month, but would not comment on the rest of the year due to economic and industry uncertainty. Cisco Systems Inc. <CSCO.O>, the world's No. 1 maker of gear that powers the Internet, gained ground in extended hours, recovering from earlier weakness after the closing bell. Cisco rose to $14-3/16 in extended hours from its regular close of $13-11/16 on the Nasdaq. Cisco said slow sales of an optical router had prompted it to discontinue making that device, which is found at the core of optical networks. Other high-techs followed the upward trend in after-hours. Chip giant Intel Corp. <INTC.O> rose to $23-5/8 from its regular close of $22-5/8. Business software company Oracle Corp. <ORCL.O> climbed to $14.20 in extended hours from a $13.66 close. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> had lost 34.20 points, or 2.04 percent, to 1,638.80 during the regular session, suffering its third straight losing session and hitting its lowest close since mid-October 1998. But software maker Peregrine Systems Inc. <PRGN.O> also offered a ray of light after the bell. The company climbed to $16-7/16 in extended hours from its close of $13-3/4 on the Nasdaq. The company said it expects to report fiscal fourth-quarter earnings in line with analysts' estimates. Home products retailer Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. <BBBY.O> also rose, climbing to $26-1/8 in extended hours from its close of $24-5/8 on the Nasdaq. The company said its fourth-quarter earnings rose 33 percent to meet analysts' estimates as sales rose despite a weak retail environment. But Akamai Technologies Inc. <AKAM.O>, whose software helps speed Web content over the Internet, slipped to $5-3/8 in after-hours trading after closing at $6 on the Nasdaq. The company said it would report a narrower-than-expected loss but on lower expected revenues, and will cut 14 percent of its work force in an effort to reach break-even results earlier than expected. ((Wall Street Desk, (212) 859-1709)) REUTERS *** end of story ***