The company said business was not declining as quickly as it was at other tech companies, sending its shares up nearly 15 percent.

Maturing convertible debt may push some companies into suitors’ arms, and falling demand will hit Hewlett-Packard’s profits sooner or later.

The Dow moved higher in the last hour as the Big Three American automakers took their case for a bailout to Capitol Hill.

After bounding higher on a strong outlook from Hewlett Packard, markets fell lower in midday trading, adding to sharp losses from the start of the week.

Wall Street gained as investors seized on a strong outlook from Hewlett-Packard, a rare glimmer of good news amid signs the economy is falling farther into a downturn.

Hewlett-Packard’s comparatively optimistic forecast bucked the trend of gloomy predictions from other major tech companies.

The company said its global reach, diverse customer base and cost-cutting were helping it weather the economic downturn and that it expected fourth-quarter results well above expectations.

Hewlett-Packard plans to operate a computer plant in the Chongqing area of China, expanding its presence in Western China.

Microsoft said it would buy back $40 billion of its shares, H.P. would repurchase $8 billion in shares and Nike said it would take on $5 billion.

Over the course of human history, writing, printing, computing and Googling have only made it easier to think and communicate.