Stocks rose slightly today with the Dow Jones industrial average briefly touching a new intraday trading high after the UN Security Council condemned North Korea over its claim of an underground nuclear test.

Wall Street closed lower in profit-taking today after the previous session’s big gain, though the market held on reasonably well despite a surprising drop in consumer confidence and a disappointing forecast from Texas Instruments Inc.

Wall Street slipped lower but still held on to most of its recent gains today as investors, their confidence in the economy growing, reacted calmly to oil prices that approached US$60 (€49.36) per barrel.

Wall Street trudged through a listless session today, closing narrowly mixed as oil prices edged closer to 45 dollars per barrel and investors hoped for assurance from the Federal Reserve that the economy was still on track.