A US government report on retail sales in May was better than expected, and that drove stocks higher for only the third time this month.

A huge jump in wholesale prices sent stocks falling in the United States today as investors worried that rising oil prices were starting to take a toll on the overall economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average reached its highest level since mid-2002 today as investors greeted strong earnings from General Electric Co and Juniper Networks Inc.

THE Irish stock market improved