NEW YORK -- The Dow industrials broke back above 9,000 today as stocks rose sharply before a Federal Reserve meeting expected to produce another cut in interest rates. Dow retakes 9,000
Closing at the highest level since late July, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 91.66 points to 9,011.25, with a late burst of buying boosting the measure above 9,000 after several failed forays earlier in the day.
The Dow, which slipped 56 points last week, last traded above 9,000 on July 30, when it had already begun a steep slide from the record 9,337.97 reached on July 17.
The broad-market finished mixed, however, with smaller companies lagging the blue-chip advance despite the enthusiasm that took hold toward the close.
The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 10.14 to 1,135.86, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 13.69 to 1,861.68.
Advancers outnumbered decliners by a 7-to-6 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,645 up, 1,400 down and 494 unchanged.
NYSE volume totaled 610.08 million shares vs. 600.25 million on Friday. The NYSE composite index rose 4.11 to 560.28, and the American Stock Exchange composite index fell 0.64 to 667.72
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 1.06 to 390.42.
The 30-year Treasury bond fell 22/32 to 99 12/32, with the yield rising to 5.29 percent.
Japan's Nikkei stock average rose 1.1 percent. Germany's DAX index rose 3.1 percent, Britain's FT-SE 100 rose 0.9 percent, and France's CAC-40 rose 1.7 percent.