NEW YORK - Stocks rose today in a shortened post-Thanksgiving session, lifting the Nasdaq market back to record levels, as a sudden spurt of merger activity continued with word of talks between Exxon Corp. and Mobil Corp. Dow up 18.80
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 18.80 points to 9,333.08, about 41 points below the new record of 9,374.27 set on Monday.
While a few days late, the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index joined Wall Street's renewed assault on record terrain, jumping 31.23 points to 2,016.44, topping its previous best close of 2,014.50 set on July 20. The Nasdaq has now surged 50 percent since Oct. 8, when the market reversed coarse in the midst of a steep sell-off.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 5.42 to 1,192.29.
Advancers outnumbered decliners by an 11-to-9 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,485 up, 1,204 down and 595 unchanged.
NYSE volume totaled 256.80 million shares, down from 358.61 million on Wednesday.
The NYSE composite index rose 1.96 to 583.00, and the American Stock Exchange composite index rose 4.58 to 673.92.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies picked up 2.77 to 402.09.
The 30-year bond rose 13/32, or $4.06 per $1,000 bond, cutting its yield 2 basis points to 5.16 percent, the lowest since Oct. 30.
In Japan, the Nikkei stock average fell 138.38 points, or 0.91 percent, to close at 15,069.39.
Investors shrugged off news reports that Finance Minister Kiichi Miyazawa plans to leave the Cabinet and resign his post as head of a major ruling party faction.