US stocks show slight rise
Wall Street ended an erratic session with a modest advance as investors awaited further signs about the health of the economy.
Falling oil prices and a contract win for Boeing Co offered some support to a lacklustre market, and the major indexes all ended with solid gains for the week.
Energy and materials stocks were weaker, while utilities and financials fared better and generally moved higher.
The muted trading followed a sell-off on Thursday after Democrats wrested control of Congress from the Republicans and touched off concern about sectors from health care to defence.
According to preliminary calculations, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 5.13, or 0.04%, to 12,108.43.
Broader stock indicators showed modest advances. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was up 2.57, or 0.19%, at 1,380.90, and the Nasdaq composite index was up 13.71, or 0.58%, at 2,389.72.
Bonds rose, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note falling to 4.59% from 4.63% late on Thursday. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices fell.
For the week, the Dow rose 1.02%, while the S&P added 1.22% and the Nasdaq gained 2.53%, advances achieved largely on the market's upbeat feeling about the election during the first half of the week. That sentiment gave way to uncertainty on Thursday about whether the Democrats would be sympathetic to business issues.
Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by about 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.42 billion shares compared with 1.86 billion on Thursday.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies was up 7.09, or 0.93%, at 769.15.
