Stocks edge higher; IBM pulls up the Dow
S&P 500 has a sixth straight gain in April, its longest series of monthly increases since 2009
Specialist John Parisi, right, works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday, April 30, 2013. Stock prices are opening mostly lower on Wall Street as weak earnings from Pfizer and other companies drag down major market averages. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
NEW YORK (AP) -- The stock market overcame a morning slide to finish modestly higher, giving the Standard & Poor's 500 index another record close and its sixth straight month of gains.
The S&P 500 edged up three points to 1,597, an increase of 0.2 percent.
Its 1.8 percent gain in April marked the longest advance since the seven months ending in September 2009, as the market was emerging from its low point during the financial crisis.
The Dow Jones industrial average rose 21 to close at 14,839, an increase of 0.1 percent. IBM led the Dow higher after announcing a dividend increase.
The Nasdaq rose 21 points, or 0.7 percent, to 3,328.
Two stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was average at 3.5 billion shares.
