THE Dow Jones industrial average galloped to its sixth record close of the year yesterday, powered by gains in technology companies and economically sensitive stocks.

The Dow jumped 53.11 points to 6,762.29, beating Monday's record finish of 6,709.18. In the broader market, advancing issues led declines by a two-one margin on heavy volume of 532 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange.

In contrast to recent sessions, in which the Dow showed far more strength than the rest of the market, broader indicators yesterday posted much sharper gains than the blue-chips.

Stocks enjoyed an early boost when a series of economic indicators confirmed inflation was still at bay. The key piece of data was the December consumer price index, the core rate of which rose a lower-than-expected 0.1 per cent, triggering a rally in bonds and sending rates falling, encouraging stock traders to buy.