A spate of bargain-hunting boosted a sluggish US market in late trading today, pulling the Dow Jones industrial average back from below the 10,000 mark.

Stocks slid in New York today as investors focused on the US government’s forthcoming employment report, shrugging off a widely expected decision by Opec to raise its crude oil output.

Wall Street pushed higher today as investors looked past a weaker-than-expected report on jobless claims and tepid November retail figures. The Dow Jones industrials reached their highest level in 18 months.

Profit-taking and a larger-than-expected decline in consumer confidence put pressure on US stocks today, but the market still managed to hang on to most of its huge rally.