Dow Briefly Sets Intraday Record--joining S&P 500 And Nasdaq--in Choppy Trade

The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly jumped to an all-time high on Friday in up-and-down trade, marking its first intraday record since March 1. Most recently, the Dow was trading modestly higher at 21,146, after briefly setting an intraday record of 21,176.30, eclipsing its previous intraday mark of 21,169.11, established three months ago. The Dow logged its first closing record since March in Thursday trade, partially inspired by an upbeat private-sector jobs report. However, Friday's wobbly action in equities was underpinned by disappointment in the more closely watched employment report from the Labor Department, which came in weaker than expected, raising questions about the U.S. economy's ability to grow further. The S&P 500 index , meanwhile, also moved tepidly higher, but was near break-even levels at 2,429, while the Nasdaq Composite Index gained 0.2% at 6,257. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, which also booked intraday trading records Friday, closed at all-time highs in the previous session.