BLUE chip stocks finished almost unchanged after meandering up and down all day, but the broader market rose as technology issues surged.

The technology heavy Nasdaq composite jumped back into record territory as key industry issues such as Intel Sun Microsystems and Microsoft resumed their recent market leadership.

On Wednesday, a cautious outlook by IBM's chief financial officer negated an otherwise strong earnings report and the stock tumbled more than 10 points, undercutting the Dow industrials and the broader market.

The NYSE's composite index rose 0.83 to 345.39. The Standard and Poor's 500 stock index gained 2.00 to 643.61. The Nasdaq composite index rose 12.55 to 1,133.42.

At the American Stock Exchange, the market value index gained 2.70 to 583.08.