US Stocks Fluctuate As Banks, Firms Retreat

United Nations stocks swung between gains and losses, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index fluctuating near the highest level since September 2008, as a drop in financial and industrial shares offset gains in technology companies.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slipped 0.2 percent to 1,269.52 at 10:07 a.m. in New York after gaining 0.2 percent earlier. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 3.45 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 11,667.30.

The S&P 500 rose 1.1 percent to 1,271.89 yesterday, the highest since Sept. 3, 2008, as analyst ratings upgrades and growth in manufacturing bolstered speculation the rally in equities will continue in 2011. The benchmark gauge gained 13 percent in 2010, bringing the advance since March 2009 to 86 percent, the biggest rally for a comparable period since 1955, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.