US investors anxious about earnings dumped technology shares once again yesterday, nearly spoiling a rally in blue chip stocks that sent the Dow Jones industrials to another closing high.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 16.65 points - or by 0.1 per cent - to close at 10,411.66, its third straight record high close. The S&P 500 fell 21.32 to 1,328.50, and the Nasdaq composite fell 76.01 to 2,507.49.

Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by an 11-to-7 margin on the New York Stock Exchange, with 1,769 up, 1,282 down and 532 unchanged. NYSE volume totalled 949.68 million shares, against 808.03 million in the previous session. The NYSE composite index fell 6.00 to 625.67, and the American Stock Exchange composite index declined 1.68 to 736.12. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 0.15 to 417.39.