FRIDAY - MARCH 19, 2010: U.S. stocks traded mixed Thursdy, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average still managing to maintain a winning streak now in an eighth day, as investors fretted about chances of a correction amid benign economic data. "People are waiting for that correction that just doesn't seem to happen," said Chip Cobb, senior vice president of Bryn Mawr Trust Management. Read David Callaway's column on correction in the cards. After climbing to 17-month highs early on, the Dow industrials was lately up 30.68 points, or 0.3%, at 10,764.35, with 15 of its 30 components trading higher, with gains led by Boeing Co., up 1.7%, and chemical giant DuPont, up 1.5%. The S&P 500 Index shed 2.2 points, or 0.2%, to 1,164.01, with energy weighing the most heavily. Health-care stocks were among those rising as President Barack Obama and top Democrats touted billions in savings expected from the House health-care bill. Read more about the House's health-care bill. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell about half a point to 2,388.49.

"This is just a very long recovery and businesses have gotten very good about being more efficient with less people," said Cobb of the troubled labor market, who noted the positive but minor trend to the downside in the latest report from the Labor Department, which said its count of those filing for unemployment benefits fell by 5,000 to 457,000 last week. The tentative stance of investors comes as many market experts play a waiting game of sorts, along with the Federal Reserve, which on Tuesday opted to keep its benchmark rate for overnight borrowing between banks at historic lows. "If you look at inflation as a whole, it's still well in check. We're all waiting for inflation to pick up, we just don't know when it will happen. We're all waiting for interest rates to go up, but we don't know when that will happen," commented Cobb.

For every two stocks on the rise, three fell on the New York Stock Exchange, where composite volume topped 3.3 billion shares, with just under an hour of trade to go. "One reason we don't see a huge rise in the market going forward is the volume isn't there," said Paul Nolte, managing director at Dearborn Partners. Noting trading volume has been heavier when stocks are falling, Nolte believes should equities start to correct more than the 5% to 10% already seen, "we could see everyone rush for the door at the same time." On Thursday, economic reports did little to sway investors one way or the other. The Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators climbed 0.1% in February for an 11th consecutive monthly rise, with the private research group predicting conditions will improve modestly in the near term. Read more.