Stocks ended mixed yesterday after Wall Street decided it still could not get enough of technology stocks but let a rally among blue-chip financial services firms fall apart late in the session.
The Nasdaq composite index ended up 5.94 points, or 0.15 per cent, at a new record of 3,975.38, after seesawing between negative and positive near the session's end. It was the technology-laden index's 59th record finish so far this year.
The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 14.68 points, or 0.13 per cent, to 11,391.08, after closing at a new record of 11,405.76 on Thursday - the last day of trading before the Christmas holiday.
The index of 30 blue-chip stocks was tugged down by financial services firms, such as American Express and JP Morgan & Co. Earlier yesterday, the Dow touched an intra-day high of 11,475.18 as these financial services firms and other laggards had rallied.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index, a broader stocks yardstick, eased 1.25 points, or 0.09 per cent, to 1,457.09, after reaching an all-time high on Thursday of 1,458.34.
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