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TODAY'S MARKETS Updated August 17, 2012, 9:54 p.m. ET
Blue Chips Near a Five-Year High
By MATT JARZEMSKY
Stocks inched toward multiyear highs, as the Dow industrials looked to cap their sixth-straight weekly advance, after a reading on Americans' feelings about the economy topped economists' expectations. Photo: AP.
Stocks ended a nail-biting trading day just points away from a near five-year high.
Thanks to a last-minute run-up, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the day at 13275.20, about four points from its highest level since December 2007.
The photo-finish added some spice to what was otherwise one of the most lackluster days in years. The Dow added 25.09 points and traded in a range of just 36.47 points, the tightest move in almost three years.
The late rally drove the Dow up about 15 points in a few seconds. That isn't necessarily a lot on a typical day, but made a big difference on Friday.
"On a benign Friday in August with no significant news event, it doesn't take much to push the market around, especially on the close," said Michael Shea, managing partner of institutional sales and trading at Direct Access Partners in New York.
The day's move was emblematic of the stock market's recent stealth rally. The Dow has gained 9.7% since June, gradually creeping higher week by week. The Dow's recent six-week winning streak is the longest since January 2011.
"We seem to be in a little bit of a melt-up, even though it's the dog days of summer. Consider just how far we've come in the last couple of weeks," said John De Clue, chief international strategist at U.S. Bank in Minneapolis.
The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index rose 2.65 points, or 0.2%, to 1418.16, one point off its multiyear peak. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 14.20, or 0.5%, to 3076.59.
Technology shares led Friday's advance as Apple AAPL +1.85% added $11.77, or 1.8%, to end at $648.11, a new high. Consumer-discretionary and industrial stocks also rose, while the health-care and energy sectors lagged behind.
For the week, the Dow added 0.5% and the S&P 500 rose 0.9%.
The Thomson-Reuters/University of Michigan consumer-sentiment index for early August rose from its end-of-July level, bucking economists' expectations for a decline.
The Conference Board's index of leading indicators for July rose more than expected, but still suggests little improvement in the economy.
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In corporate news, shares of Facebook FB -4.13% fell 82 cents, or 4.1%, to 19.05, their lowest closing price ever, extending losses from Thursday, when a batch of early investors' shares were made available for sale.
European markets traded broadly higher, with the Stoxx Europe 600 up 0.6%, as sentiment continued to be bolstered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel's comments on Thursday that Germany was committed to maintaining the euro.
Markets shrugged off data showing bad debts held by Spanish banks rose in June to the highest level on record. Spain's IBEX 35 stock index rallied 1.9%.
Asian markets were mostly higher, with Japan's Nikkei Stock Average gaining 0.8% to close at the highest level in over three months. China's Shanghai Composite edged up 0.1%.
Crude-oil futures added 0.4% to settle at $96.01 a barrel, while gold futures rose less than 0.1% to finish at $1,616.30 an ounce. The dollar gained ground against both the euro and the yen.
In other corporate news, J.M. Smucker SJM +5.05% jumped 3.99, or 5.1%, to 82.96 after saying this year's profit will be at the high end of its forecast range. For the latest quarter, the maker of namesake jams, Jif peanut butter and Pillsbury pastries posted better-than-expected sales as volume rose.
Marvell Technology MRVL -14.17% tumbled 1.74, or 14%, to 10.54 after the semiconductor maker's fiscal second-quarter earnings and revenue fell short of analysts' estimates, citing the slowdown in the macroeconomic environment.
Gap gained 1.65, or 4.8%, to 35.99 after the apparel retailer reported fiscal second-quarter earnings that were above the company's previously provided expected range and raised its full-year outlook.
Also in the retail sector, Ann ANN +20.43% jumped 5.75, or 20%, to 33.89 after the operator of Ann Taylor and Loft stores raised its outlook for the year and reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings.