Dow nears 12,000

Wall Street extended its record-setting advance today, sending the Dow Jones industrial average within a whisper of 12,000 as investors grew more optimistic that corporate profits would remain robust amid a slowing economy.

The blue chip index came within 3 points of reaching the milestone for the first time before falling back minutes before the close; it still managed a record high close, its seventh in two weeks. A deluge of earnings reports, including 12 from Dow component companies slated this week, could make or break the Dow’s three-week run at record levels.