Blue Chips Edge Back To Black
Stocks struggled to eke out gains, as weak economic data put the global rally on hold.</br></br>The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 18.97 points, or 0.1%, to 13596.93, posting its third consecutive rise. The blue chips have climbed 4.2% over the past two weeks, as the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of Japan have announced stimulus measures.</br></br>The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index fell 0.79 point, or 0.05%, to 1460.26, and the Nasdaq Composite gave up 6.66 points, or 0.2%, to 3175.96.</br></br>Stocks fell in early Thursday trading, as China posted weak economic data and U.S. jobless claims were higher than expected. But indexes reclaimed most of the lost ground. The Dow industrials turned positive after statements supporting recent U.S. central-bank action from three regional Fed bank presidents, a better-than-expected business activity reading from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and a successful Spanish bond auction.</br></br>In corporate news, Norfolk Southern slumped $6.58, or 9.1%, to $66.11, after the railroad company cut its third-quarter outlook.