Peaks And Valleys

The Dow Jones industrial average ended the week up 19 points (0.2 percent), closing at 10,470. On Thursday, the Dow racked up a 140-point gain, which triggered a sell-off on Friday as investors took profits. Orders for durable goods to factories were up 3 percent last month, a sign of strengthening economic conditions in the U.S. Fears of interest-rate hikes kept markets in check as investors begged off heavy buying. Microsoft was the leading blue-chip, gaining close to 6 percent on Friday after a strong earnings report, which propelled a large volume of tech buys and lifted the Nasdaq 13 points during Friday’s session.