Dow ekes out gain to keep win streak alive

The Dow Jones industrial average logged its longest winning streak in two years -- barely.

A tiny gain gave the Dow its eighth straight increase Tuesday, long enough to match its longest series of gains since February 2011.

The Dow rose 2.77 points to 14,450.06, having wavered between small gains and losses for most of the day.

The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index ended down 0.24 percent at 1,552.48. The Nasdaq composite index fell 0.32 percent, to 3,242.32.

Stocks have surged this year as investors became encouraged by a recovery in the housing market and a pickup in hiring. Strong corporate earnings and continuing economic stimulus from the Federal Reserve are also supporting demand for stocks.

The Dow has gained 10.3 percent so far in 2013, and last week it surpassed its previous record of 14,164.53. The S&P 500 has risen 8.9 percent this year and is less than 1 percentage point away from its record close of 1,565.15 set in October 2007.

Stocks haven't had a correction, typically defined as a decline of between 10 and 20 percent, since November 2011. That sell-off came after talks on cutting the U.S. deficit broke down in Washington.

-- AP