How The Major Stock Indexes Fared Wednesday

Stocks closed mixed Wednesday after the head of the Federal Reserve said unemployment may remain high for several years. The Dow Jones industrial average eked out its eighth straight day of gains.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 6.74 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 12,239.89.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 3.69, or 0.3 percent, to 1,320.88.

The Nasdaq composite index fell 7.98, or 0.3 percent, to 2,789.07.

For the week:

The Dow is up 147.74, or 1.2 percent.

The S&P 500 is up 10.01, or 0.8 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 19.77, or 0.7 percent.

For the year to date:

The Dow is up 662.38, or 5.7 percent.

The S&P is up 63.24, or 5.0 percent.

The Nasdaq is up 136.2, or 5.1 percent.