Wall Street soared today in the first day of trading for the third quarter, boosted by a decline in Treasury yields, a rise in June manufacturing activity and a spate of buyout news.

Wall Street staged a mild retreat today, quietly closing a year that will be remembered for the stock market’s great comeback – a year-end rally that pushed the Dow Jones industrials past 12,000 for the first time.

The Dow Jones industrial average reached another record close today as investors largely looked past economic and earnings reports that had stirred concerns about the health of the US economy.

Wall Street rallied again today, with the Dow Jones industrials scoring another record close as investors grew more confident that the Federal Reserve has inflation in hand.

Concerns over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and record oil prices sent stocks lower today and added to Wall Street’s worries about the economy and interest rates.

US stocks ended a quiet session today with a moderate gain on strong earnings news and a decline in the trade deficit.

A combination of moderate inflation and falling oil prices energised Wall Street today, sending stocks higher as investors grew optimistic about an end to the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes.