The Dow Jones industrial average hit a record on Friday, but without much conviction after a choppy day of trading during which investors couldn’t make up their minds whether to buy or sell.

The Dow Jones industrial average closed at an all-time high as the good narrowly outweighed the bad for the stock market.

The stock market ended flat yesterday as traders hoped for more economic stimulus from the Federal Reserve, and worried about escalating tensions between the US and Syria.

Good news on jobs and consumer spending pushed stocks higher again yesterday.

Wall Street’s recent passion for high-dividend stocks is fading.

After weeks of conflicting signals about the strength of the US economy, a big gain in the jobs market gave Wall Street reason to celebrate today.

US stocks extended their gains today with a modest advance as investors weighed fresh economic data, including a sharp drop in new home sales, for clues as to whether more interest rate cuts are in the offing.