Wall Street advanced for a second session in a row today as investors placed bets that the Federal Reserve would not indicate that it is leaning toward a US interest rate hike.

Wall Street had its worst day in more than four months today as the dollar weakened and concerns about the strength of the retail industry arose following a rare sales decline at Wal-Mart. The Dow Jones industrials fell 158 points.

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.

The plunging technology sector pulled the rest of Wall Street lower today, giving the stock market a dismal end to a difficult week and the Nasdaq composite index its biggest weekly decline in two-and-a-half years.