Microsoft shares up after profits boosted

Shrinking losses from Xbox 360 helped Microsoft lift its net profit.

Shares of Microsoft rose 1.3 per cent and hit a 52-week high of US$28.71 ($43.38) on Friday after the software maker posted an 11 per cent rise in quarterly net profit a day earlier, boosted by a strong performance at its database division and shrinking losses from its Xbox 360 video game console.

The software maker also raised its full-year sales outlook, lifted in part by the upcoming launches of a new Office software suite and Windows Vista, the first major upgrade of its operating system in five years.

- REUTERS