IBM, Microsoft push Dow average higher
1/21/2012NEW YORK — IBM and Microsoft Corp. drove the Dow Jones industrial average higher Friday after the tech giants reported stronger-than-expected profits.
The Dow rose 96.50 points to close at 12,720.48. Without the huge gains in IBM and Microsoft, the Dow would have risen just 24 points.
The S&P 500 index inched up 0.88 to 1,315.38. Both the Dow and S&P ended the week with gains of more than 2 percent. The Nasdaq index fell 1.63 points to 2,786.70 but ended the week with a gain.