US stocks closed an erratic session mixed today as General Motors Corp. hit an 18-year low, dragging down the Dow Jones industrial average. Rising oil prices also dulled investor enthusiasm.

Wall Street zigzagged through a listless session today, closing mostly higher as a spate of multibillion-dollar acquisitions lifted the technology sector and energy prices extended their declines.

Wall Street began the first full week of 2004 with a solid advance today rising on encouraging interest rate news, a strong semiconductor sales report and an upbeat forecast from software firm Siebel Systems.

IBM will report net income of 98 cents a share on sales of $21.4 billion, up from three cents and $19.65 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to the average estimates of analysts polled by Thomson.