Stock Market Posts Fifth Gain On Eve of President's Speech
NEW YORK CAP)ÛÓA late surge of buying pushed stock prices ahead for the fifth straight session yesterday as Wall Street awaited President CarterÛªs message on inflation and other economic problems.</br></br>. The Dow Jones average of 30 industrials. which showed little ciiange for the day as late as mid-afternoon, was up 4.07 at 773.65 by the close.</br></br>Still another evident plus was the .'Commerce Department report shortly before the close that retail sales Û¢climbed 1.9 percent in March on top of an upward-revised 3 percent increase the month before.</br></br>Among retailing issues. Sears Roebuck showed a % gain at 23% as of the 4 p.m. close of the NYSE; J.C. Penney rose lYs to 37%: K mart added 3-8 to 25%: F.W. Woohvorth was up % at 18%, and Federated</br></br>Standard & PoorÛªs index of 400 industrials was up .37 at 99.54. and S&P's 500-stock composite index gained .32 to 90.49.