The Dow Jones industrial average scored a fifth successive closing high last night but technology shares slid as investors took their profits and bought more economically-sensitive stocks.

The Dow ended up 31.17 points or 0.3 per cent at 10,493.89, pulling off its first week-long streak of record closing figures in more than a year. It gained roughly 320 points or 3.1 per cent over the week. The latest high was achieved despite the run on technology stocks which dragged IBM down, as well as the Nasdaq composite index.

The Nasdaq shed 39.34 points, or 1.56 per cent, to 2,482.43. Over the five days, it lost some 111 points.

In spite of the mixed performance in key indices, gaining stocks outpaced those in decline by more than two-to-one with 2,053 rising and 1,0005 falling in active volume of 998.3 million on the New York Stock Exchange.