Dow up 27
amid profit-taking

NEW YORK -- Stocks rose modestly today, lifting some market measures to new highs after struggling past a round of profit-taking on yesterday's big advance.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 26.71 to 8,088.36, padding yesterday's record close. The blue-chip barometer had briefly slipped into negative territory during the morning after surrendering an early 81-point gain.

Advancers outnumbered decliners by a 3-to-2 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,732 up, 1,169 down and 531 unchanged. NYSE volume totaled 616.93 million shares, up from 579.57 million yesterday.

The Standard & Poor's 500-stock list rose 2.58 to 936.56, just 0.03 shy of last Wednesday's record finish, but the NYSE composite index rose 1.62 to 485.51, beating last Wednesday's record high of 485.24.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 3.79 to 1,567.65, and the American Stock Exchange composite index rose 0.45 to 634.65.

Broad-market indicators also posted modest gains after retreating from what initially looked to be a continuation of yesterday afternoon's rally.

The Dow gained nearly 155 points yesterday after Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan delivered a midyear report to Congress without sparking any jitters over inflation or interest rates. His remarks to a House banking panel, which he repeated before the Senate Banking Committee today, were mostly upbeat.

Investors took that as a clear signal that Fed officials once again will pass up the chance to raise rates at their Aug. 19 meeting.