Tech stocks have borne most of Wall Street's concern about the health of corporate earnings in recent weeks. Restive investors, taking their cues from a flurry of profit reports, have been at turns pleased and concerned about the prospects that profit growth will help drive stocks higher following a sharp run-up in 2006.

There was little overall movement in the energy and health sectors in response to President Bush's State of the Union address, during which he called for expanded health insurance coverage and a 20 percent reduction the country's consumption of gasoline over the next 10 years. Some alternative-energy companies pulled back after rising sharply before the speech.

In an essentially all-earnings day, investors were left without new economic data to help provide some clues about the direction of interest rates.

"Some earnings are coming in a little better, some a little worse but it's showing us that the fourth quarter wasn't in recession and that's comforting going forward," said Kim Caughey, equity research analyst at Fort Pitt Capital Group. "The Fed isn't going to have to ratchet up (interest rates) to cool down inflation."

According to preliminary calculations, the tech-laden Nasdaq composite index jumped 34.87, or 1.43 percent, to 2,466.28. The gain marked the Nasdaq's biggest one-day increase since early December.

The Dow rose 87.97, or 0.70 percent, to 12,621.77 after rising 56.64 yesterday. The Dow surpassed a record close of 12,582.59 set Jan. 16; it was the Dow's 26th record close since the blue chip average began its run-up at the start of October. The Dow also reached a record intraday high of 12,623.45, topping a trading high of 12,614.00 reached a week earlier.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index reached a six-year high, rising 12.14, or 0.85 percent, to 1,440.13.

Bond prices showed little change as there was no economic news to guide investors. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note was flat at 4.81 percent from late yesterday. The dollar was mixed against other major currencies, while gold prices rose.

Light, sweet crude settled up 33 cents at $55.37 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange after government figures showed a build in crude, gasoline and distillate inventories last week. The increase came despite colder weather in the Northeast and took some investors buy surprise. Yesterday, oil rose more than $2 per barrel on news that the United States plans to double the size of its Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The increase is expected to occur over decades, however.

Among energy companies, Exxon Mobil Inc. rose 41 cents to $74.90. The energy sector appeared to take in stride the president's call for austerity in gasoline consumption, though some companies that make a business of alternative energy products were lower. Xethanol Corp., an ethanol maker, fell 31 cents, or 10.10 percent, to $2.76, while larger rival Archer Daniels Midland Co. declined 54 cents to $32.09.

Health care stocks also appeared little moved by the speech; Aetna Inc., the insurer, fell 44 cents to $41.74, while drug maker Pfizer Inc. rose 45 cents to $26.82.

Caughey noted that investors are focusing on earnings reports for comments on current and future business conditions and for hints as to whether inflation will cool adequately to allow the Federal Reserve to lower short-term interest rates.

"Investment mangers are looking at two areas, one is inflation and one is growth," she said. "Far out in the future they kind of tie together because if we have too much inflation the Fed is going the take the punch bowl away."

In other corporate news, Yahoo jumped $1.98, or 7.3 percent, to $28.94 after the Internet-search company's fourth-quarter profit topped Wall Street's estimates. The company unveiled an ad search technology and said it expects to draw more revenue from each page view during the year.

Sun Microsystems, a maker of server and storage products, rose 49 cents, or 8.7 percent, to $6.15 after the company reported its first quarterly profit in years as revenue increased. Earnings were above what Wall Street expected.

McDonald's Corp. fell 69 cents to $44.16 after the world's largest fast-food chain's fourth-quarter results were in line with Wall Street's estimates. The company's profit more than doubled amid a spinoff of a burrito chain and strong sales in Europe.

Advanced Micro Devices Inc. fell $1.48, or 8.5 percent, to $16.03 after the chip maker swung to a loss from a profit in its fourth quarter. Sales of high-margin server chips were flat in the fourth quarter.

Corning Inc., which makes glass, fiber optics and specialty materials, rose $2.06, or 10.9 percent, to $20.90 after posting a stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter profit amid strong sales of liquid-crystal-display glass for flat-screen televisions. The company forecast strong growth in its glass-monitor business.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by about 2 to 1 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to 1.58 billion shares.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies was up 8.65, or 1.10 percent, at 794.03.