The Dow Jones industrial average broke through 11,900 to close at a record high today, boosted by optimism over the health of US corporate earnings.

Wall Street ended a record-breaking week quietly today, edging lower after the Labour Department said US employers added far fewer jobs than expected last month. The major indexes all scored big gains for the week.

US retail sales excluding cars rose in September following an August rise that was almost twice as much as reported a month earlier, the government said.