Wall Street drifted to a slightly higher finish today as investors shied away from taking new positions in a holiday-shortened week. Despite the market’s languid tone, Google Inc. surpassed $500 for the first time.

Wall Street drifted to a slightly higher finish today as investors shied away from taking new positions in a holiday-shortened week. Despite the market's languid tone, Google Inc. surpassed $500 for the first time.

Wall Street was mixed today, with blue chips falling and technology stocks managing a slight gain while investors tussled with their concerns about inflation and the overall health of the economy.

US stocks ended a quiet session today with a moderate gain on strong earnings news and a decline in the trade deficit.

Stocks rebounded today as reports of a surge in consumer spending and improving health in the manufacturing sector restored investors’ confidence in the economy.

US stocks sagged today in a bout of profit-taking, but blue chips fared better than they might have otherwise as shares of Dow Jones component Hewlett-Packard surged following the ousting of CEO Carly Fiorina.

Investors retreated modestly on Wall Street today, collecting profits after a six-day advance in the Dow Jones industrials.