August 22, 2006 > A status report on Wall Street's major indexes

by Associate Press

Stocks closed higher for the fifth straight session Friday as hopes rose for a soft landing for the economy, despite lagging consumer sentiment and disappointing second-quarter results from Dell Inc.

Technology stocks were pressured after Dell reported second-quarter profit fell 51 percent, with sales growth slowing to the lowest rate in three years.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 46.51, or 0.41 percent, to 11,381.47.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 4.82, or 0.37 percent, to 1,302.30.

The Nasdaq composite index gained 6.34, or 0.29 percent, to 2,163.95.

For the week:

The Dow rose 293.44, or 2.65 percent.

The S&P rose 35.56, or 2.81 percent.

The Nasdaq rose 106.24, or 5.16 percent.

Where the indexes stand compared with Oct. 9, 2002, when the Dow, S&P and Nasdaq hit five and six-year lows, the depths of the bear market:

The Dow is 4,095.20, or 56.20 percent, above its five-year low of 7,286.27.

The S&P is 525.54, or 67.66 percent, above its six-year low of 776.76.

The Nasdaq is 1,049.84, or 94.23 percent, above its six-year low of 1,114.11.

Where the indexes stand compared with their all-time highs, reached in early 2000:

The Dow is 341.51, or 2.91 percent, below its peak of 11,722.98 on Jan. 14, 2000.

The S&P is 225.16, or 14.74 percent, below its peak of 1,527.46 on March 24, 2000.

The Nasdaq is 2,884.67, or 57.14 percent, below its peak of 5,048.62 on March 10, 2000.

For the year:

The Dow is up 663.97, or 6.20 percent.

The S&P is up 54.01, or 4.33 percent.

The Nasdaq is down 41.37, or 1.88 percent.