NEW YORK -- Blue-chip stocks faded into the close of a sleepy session today, again failing to keep pace with smaller-company shares, which lifted several measures further into record territory. Dow gains 13;
small stocks surgeThe Dow Jones industrial average rose 12.77 points to about 7,835.18 after retreating from an earlier gain of 58 points.
Advancing issues outpaced decliners by a 5-to-3 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,786 up, 1,084 down and 533 unchanged. NYSE volume totaled 466.44 million shares, down sharply from 536.40 million Friday.
Broader stock indicators posted wider gains.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies notched its ninth consecutive record high, while the Nasdaq composite index and the American Stock Exchange composite index, both of which have a large constituency if smaller companies, padded Friday's record highs too.
The Standard & Poor's 500-stock list rose 2.15 to 931.20, and the NYSE composite index rose 1.14 to 485.78. The Russell 2000 rose 2.95 to 435.99, the Nasdaq composite index climbed 9.58 to 1,645.35, and the American Stock Exchange composite rose 3.12 to 670.67.
Meanwhile, treasury bond prices also were higher at midday.
The price of the Treasury's main 30-year bond was up 12/32 point by late afternoon, while its yield fell to 6.61 percent from 6.63 percent late Friday. Bond prices and yields move in opposite directions.
On Friday, the Dow fell about 45 points amid a spate of downgrades and profit warnings involving well-known companies.