That makes them optimistic about inflation again and propels the Dow index even higher, to 3,932.

Indeed, yesterday's big rally came a day after the Dow index had jumped 113 points.

For the week, however, the Dow index closed up 5.82 points.

Most of the 30 blue chips in the Dow index changed by just fractions.

American Express led the Dow index higher, rising 7, to 135 3/8.

The largest drop was in 1987, when the Dow index fell 508 points.

The Dow index of 30 blue-chip stocks jumped 73.98 points, or 1.31 percent, to 5,733.84.

No wonder - not 14 months ago, the Dow industrial index had plunged to 7,286; today we are some 2,600 points higher.

At the close, the blue-chip Dow index had gained 94.23 points, or a little more than 1 percent, to 9,320.98.

By the end of the session, the Dow index had lost just 3.69 points for a close of 2,659.22.