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US STOCKS-Resilient Wall St edges higher

Published 09/15/2010, 03:03 PM
Updated 09/15/2010, 03:08 PM
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* Energy shares pressured by decline in crude oil prices

* Kraft shares rise after revenue forecast

* Micron shares fall after downgrade

* Indexes up: Dow 0.2 pct, S&P 0.08 pct, Nasdaq 0.3 pct (Updates to afternoon, changes byline)

By Chuck Mikolajczak

NEW YORK, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Wall Street advanced on Wednesday but remained hemmed in a recent trading range as disappointing economic data prevented the S&P 500 from pushing through a key technical level.

Markets were pressured early by a report showing a measure of New York state business conditions slipped to the lowest level in more than a year, while industrial output rose at a slower rate in August.

The S&P found support shortly after the reports at its 200-day moving average, climbing back above the 1,115 level.

But the benchmark index was once again unable to pierce the 1,130 threshold, seen as a key resistance level by analysts, which, if breached, could spark further buying.

"What we've seen over the last several days is the market having a tough time getting through the upper end of this recent trading range and yet some resilience to slightly disappointing news on the macroeconomic front," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer of Solaris Asset Management in Bedford Hills, New York.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 21.04 points, or 0.20 percent, to 10,547.53. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index gained 0.88 points, or 0.08 percent, to 1,121.98. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 6.25 points, or 0.27 percent, to 2,296.02.

Among the top decliners, energy shares were pressured by a fall in crude oil prices while technology shares lost ground after some bearish analyst comments.

Equities were little moved after the Japanese government intervened in global currency markets to sell yen for the first time in six years, though the U.S. dollar climbed.

October crude futures slipped 1.4 percent to $75.72 per barrel, while the S&P Energy index lost 0.7 percent.

Chevron Corp slid 0.8 percent to $78.89 and was among the top decliners on the Dow.

Kraft Foods Inc, another Dow component, gained 1.3 percent to $31.46 after saying it would squeeze another $1 billion in revenue from its global business by 2013 as its North American business faces challenges.

Semiconductors slipped after Goldman Sachs downgraded chipmakers Micron Technology Inc to "neutral," and Maxim Integrated Products Inc to "sell."

Micron shares lost 4 percent to $6.98 and Maxim shed 1 percent to $16.67. The Philadelphia semiconductor index fell 0.5 percent.

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