<p>With U.S. markets rallying and the Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting record highs, analysts and industry insiders are expressing a sense of sober confidence, if not exuberance, about the tech sector's prospects for the year.</p><p>The Dow Tuesday hit a milestone, surging past its prior record high in 2007, achieved before the banking crisis and subsequent recession, and then ticked up again on Wednesday and Thursday. The Dow closed Thursday at 14,329.49, up 33.25 for the day.</p><p>The tech stocks included in the Dow are holding their own: Intel, Microsoft, IBM and Cisco shares all rose Thursday. Of the tech stocks in the Dow, only Hewlett-Packard shares declined. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Computer Index, which includes Facebook, Google and Apple, rose Thursday as all major exchanges in the U.S. marked gains.</p><p>Some upbeat economic data this week has helped fuel the rise. Payroll processor ADP, for example, said Wednesday that U.S. companies added 198,000 jobs in February. The company also revised its January figure up by 23,000, reporting that businesses added 215,000 jobs during the month. The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday reported in a survey that 10 of its 12 banking districts reported "moderate growth."</p><p><a href="http://www.cio.com.au/article/455808/wall_street_beat_tech_stocks_hold_their_own_markets_surge/">Keep reading...</a></p>