By Gavin Adamson

(April 18 – 17:00 ET) – North American markets surged ahead today on projections of better-than-expected growth across a wide array of sectors.

First Call, a U.S.-based research company which provides estimated earnings forecasts said many S&P 500 companies are bettering their earnings forecasts. Investors reacted postively. That index jumped by 39.53 to 1,440.97.

Buying up tech stocks after last week’s drop, investors drove up Nasdaq. It climbed 254.27 to 3,793.52. Computer stocks like Intel and IBM jumped. Microsoft edged upwards, as did AT&T. The Goldman & Sachs Internet Index jumped by 11%.

Nasdaq’s gainers outplayed losers by 33 to 11. Other consumer and industrials gained as well, including Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, after analysts projected those company’s first quarter results, due today after the markets closed, would look good. Financial stocks like DJDirect and E*Trade pushed ahead as well.

The Dow closed up by 182.42 to 10,764.93. Advances beat out retreats by 19-10 on the NYSE.

The TSE 300 composite was swept up by today’s optimism too. It added 299.94 moving to 9069.50. BCE added C$11.05 to $160.50, and Nortel advanced by $11.40 to $160.50. Certicom notched up by $17.75 to $78. JDS Uniphase slipped back more than $6.

Techs also led the CDNX further upwards, by 230.02 to 3,650.30. Unique Broadband Systems swelled by nearly 30% to C$6.20. eDispatch.com Wire jumped by 16% to $12.95, and Ecompark gained another 17%, to $1.93.