WALL Street stocks posted a late advance, boosting the Dow Jones industrial average and other market measures to new highs, as investors wrestled with conflicting signals on inflation and interest rates.

The Dow rose 47.39 points to close at 7,333.55, closing above 7,300 for the first time.

The blue-chip barometer had opened the day with a 32-point loss before recovering and trading nearly unchanged until the last half-hour.

The technology-heavy Nasdaq market posted the biggest gains, led by Intel.

Stocks were pressured at the opening by a weak bond market, where long-term interest rates briefly shot towards unsettling levels amid some signs that inflationary pressures remain a concern.

Also setting new highs were the Standard and Poor's 500-stock list, up 5.84 to 841.88, and the New York Stock Exchange composite index, up 2.05 to 437.65. The Nasdaq composite index rose 18.07 to 1,353.62.