Wall St stocks ended higher as money shifted into some inflation-resistant stocks along with a few bellweather technology names to offset company-specific news and profit-taking.

Both the Nasdaq and the Standard & Poor's advanced to new records for the second day running. The Dow Jones industrial average gained just 3.06 points or 0.03 per cent to 11,203.60 after jumping more than 50 points in early afternoon.

The Nasdaq composite index climbed to its 57th record of the year. The technology-driven market has risen 79.5 per cent this year and more than 900 points in eight weeks.

"It's another day at the office. The pattern remains the same and that pattern is continued strength by individual issues that dominate the averages," said Mr Donald Selkin, chief market strategist at Joseph Gunnar & Co.