The Dow Jones industrial average soared in the last hour of trading today and hit a new record high as investors, nervous about upcoming earnings reports, sought the relative safety of blue-chip stocks.

At the close of trading on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 121.82 at 10,085.31. It was the Dow's third close above 10,000, and eclipsed the previous high close of 10,007.33, reached on Monday.

Broader stock indicators were mixed, reflecting the fact that investors are for the time being turning away from unpredictable technology stocks and moving their money to blue-chips that are seen as surer bets.

The Nasdaq composite index, heavily weighted in technology issues, fell 18.81 to 2,544.36, and the Standard and Poor's 500 index rose 8.86 to 1,326.75.

The financial sector was mostly higher, as analysts said that banks and brokerages have hinted they will report strong earnings when they begin releasing first-quarter results next week.