Shares of Microsoft Corp. climbed further Friday, extending a powerful monthlong rally that has added hundreds of billions of dollars in market value, as investors weighed a continuing surge in technology stocks against Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh's closely watched speech at the central bank's annual Jackson Hole symposium.

Microsoft stock traded at 515.30 dollars, up 10.24 dollars, or 2.03%, as of 12:25 p.m. Eastern time on the Nasdaq, according to Google Finance data. The move built on gains from Thursday's session, when major technology stocks rallied broadly following blowout quarterly results from chipmaker Nvidia that revived optimism around artificial intelligence spending across the sector.

Friday's trading also unfolded against the backdrop of Warsh's first major address as Fed chair at the Kansas City Federal Reserve's Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium in Moran, Wyoming. Investors had been looking to the speech for clarity on the central bank's approach to inflation and interest rates, with major indexes trading choppily through the morning as traders parsed his remarks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 held modest gains for much of the session, while the Nasdaq Composite fluctuated between small gains and losses.

Microsoft's advance Friday is part of a much larger rally that began in late July, when the company reported fiscal fourth-quarter........

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