WALL Street stocks closed higher but the Dow Jones industrials ended just shy of a record, as investors adjusted their portfolios ahead of today's "triple witching" expiration of futures and options contracts.

Bond prices initially rose on the news but then dipped at mid-morning, pulling stocks lower. The 30-year Treasury bond waffled in late morning but climbed in early afternoon.

Advancing issues out-numbered decliners by more than two to one on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,749 up, 832 down and 812 unchanged.

NYSE volume totalled 536.92 million shares against 491.68 million in the previous session. The Standard and Poor's 500-stock list rose 8.93 to 897.99, and the NYSE's composite index rose 4.35 to 467.76.

The Nasdaq composite index rose 14.897 to 1,447.30, and the American Stock Exchange composite index rose 2.33 to 628.30.