On the downside, Cisco, which is to release third-quarter earnings results tomorrow, fell US$0.40 to US$17.26.
As for blue chip dealing, gains occurred across an array of sectors and industries, which has been the case with the market's recent rallies. Merck rose 83 cents to US$65.03, Wal-Mart gained US$0.73 to US$52.97, and Honeywell advanced US$0.70 to US$31.15.
Still, analysts have also cautioned that in the near term, the market's rallies aren't likely to hold up because of the ongoing economic slump, the political anxiety following the terrorist attacks and the spread of anthrax that began soon after.
Advancing issues narrowly outnumbered decliners 16 to 15 on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was 1.11 billion shares, compared with the 1.31 billion shares traded Thursday.
The Russell 2000 index, the barometer of smaller company stocks, fell 1.81, or 0.4 percent, to 433.07.
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