Microsoft Posts 79% Jump in Income

Microsoft Corp. posted a 79% jump in fiscal second-quarter net income amid a surge in sales for the Windows operating system and holiday sales of the Xbox 360 video-game console.

The world's largest software company also gave an upbeat outlook, with guidance for its full fiscal year above Wall Street's expectations for revenue and earnings per share.

The forecast could ease concerns that technology spending may be slowing amid a weakening economy.

"We continue to see healthy demand from both businesses and consumers in the United States, and our growth in emerging markets is especially strong," the chief operating officer of the company, Kevin Turner, said.