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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Kenneth E. Phillipps who wrote (512892)	12/19/2003 11:59:37 AM
From: Hope Praytochange	Respond to of 769667

<<Yawwwn! why do I still have to chase the ambulance>>>Blue Chips Up in Early Trading By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 11:37 a.m. ET NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street pushed higher into a fourth day Friday as investors picked up shares on optimism the economy would continue its strong improvement into 2004. The market searched for direction in the morning in the absence of significant economic news before moving higher. Trading also was choppy due to Friday's quadruple-witching day, the quarterly expiration of index futures and options as well as individual stock futures and options. ``We're continuing to build on the confidence from earlier in the week,'' said Peter Dunay, chief market strategist at Wall Street Access, a New York-based brokerage firm. ``The economics are getting so much attention that as long as they stay positive'' investors will continue to buy. By late morning, the Dow was up 40.51, or 0.4 percent, at 10,288.59, following a three-day gain of 225 points. The blue-chip average finished Thursday at the highest level since May 17, 2002, when it stood at 10,353.08. The broader market inched higher. The Nasdaq composite index edged up 0.35, or 0.02 percent, to 1,956.53. And the S&P 500 rose 0.82, or 0.1 percent, to 1,090.00. On Thursday, the index rose to its highest closing level since May 23, 2002. Stocks have pushed higher in recent days on growing investor optimism about the economic recovery, particularly following a government report suggesting inflation wasn't an immediate problem. Analysts worry, however, that much of the market advance might be coming on year-end seasonal factors and that valuations might be getting a bit high. Dunay said some investors might be positioning themselves before the holiday week next week, when trading is expected to be light. ``Most investors are thrilled to close right here and say, 'Yeah, the market is going to go up this year after three years of declines,''' he said. Red Hat Inc. jumped $2.41 to $16.69 after the provider of Linux-based operating systems reported third-quarter earnings that met expectations; the company also said it was acquiring Sistina Software in a $31 million stock deal. ATI Technologies Inc. rose 34 cents to $15.04 after the company reported fiscal first-quarter earnings that slightly beat Wall Street's estimates. Silicon Storage Technology Inc. gained 74 cents to $11.25 after the maker of flash memory components said it expected fourth-quarter earnings to come in higher than analysts' expectations. Nike Inc. slipped 4 cents to $66.76 even though the athletic shoe maker raised its earnings and revenue outlook for the full fiscal year. Declining issues narrowly outnumbered on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume came to 456.51 million shares, compared with 417.66 million traded at the same point Thursday. The Russell 2000 index, which tracks smaller company stocks, fell 1.33, or 0.2 percent, to 545.57. Overseas, Japan's Nikkei stock average finished 1.8 percent higher. In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 increased 0.4 percent, France's CAC-40 fell 0.2 percent, and Germany's DAX index was up 0.4 percent. ------ On the Net: New York Stock Exchange: nyse.com Nasdaq Stock Market: nasdaq.com