Dow edges near a 13,000 close

NEW YORK - The Dow edged teasingly close to the 13,000 marker Friday, a milestone it hasn't reached since before the financial crisis brought the U.S. economy to its knees.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 45.79 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 12,949.87, its highest close for the year so far. That followed a 123-point surge the day before, when it also set a closing record for 2012.

The rest of the market struggled for direction on what turned out to be a quiet news day as traders prepared for the long Presidents' Day weekend. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 3.19 points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,361.23, also setting a record close for 2012. The Nasdaq composite, after surging Thursday, fell 8.07 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,951.78. A key economic indicator, U.S. consumer prices, came in at about what analysts were expecting.

The Dow hasn't closed above 13,000 since May 19, 2008, a time when the Bush administration was still in charge and unemployment was just 5.4 percent, compared with the current 8.3 percent.

Major European indexes rose, including a 5 percent surge in Greece's ATHEX. The euro rose slightly to $1.32, indicating confidence in Europe.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.01 percent from 1.99 percent late Thursday.