The Dow shattered the 14,000 mark for the first time in its history today, floating 22 points above the milestone but dipping just before the bell to close at 13,971.55—still a 20.57-point gain. A projection of relatively docile inflation, combined with continued encouraging earnings reports from retail and technology, boosted the market broadly.
The Nasdaq climbed 14.96 to a less historic 2712.29, while the S&P fell for the second straight day, losing 0.15 to finish at 1549.37. Intel climbed 1.5% in advance of an earnings report that will show a 44% leap in profits; more modest projections buoyed Microsoft, while Coke and Johnson & Johnson shares lost value despite increased profits. (More Dow Jones stories.)