In stocks, the Dow Jones............>

US STOCKS CLOSE: In stocks, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq Composite

and S&P 500 posted new life-time highs of 21,790.13 6,460.841 and 2,484.04

respectively before succumbing to profit-taking, especially in tech stocks. Only

the DJIA managed to see a new life-time closing high, 21,796.55.

- The S&P 500 closed down 0.10% at 2,475.42. At Thursday's close, the index was

up 10.6% year-to-date.

- On the risk front, the CBOE's volatility index or VIX was closing around

10.31, in the middle of a 9.16 to 11.50 range.

- Wednesday's low of 8.84 was a new life-time intraday VIX low. The prior

life-time intraday low was 8.89, seen Dec. 27, 1993.

- The VIX posted a high of 16.30 on May 18 at the peak of risk aversion, not far

from the 16.28 high seen April 17 that was driven by North Korea concerns.

- It would take a close above the 200-day moving average, currently at 12.18, to

suggest risk appetite was waning. The VIX last closed above its 200-day moving

average in mid-May, but then only briefly.