The DJIA remains locked on 11000, and if it should fail to push above that number by year’s end – well, there’s no point even thinking about it, since the odds of failure are by now so remote that only a collision between Earth and a huge asteroid could conceivably deter investors from doing the requisite lifting between now and New Year’s Eve. For sure, they did their bit yesterday, keeping the Dow in positive territory for nearly the entire day even though three blue-chip stalwarts were down in their cups. MMM, (MMM) Altria (MO) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) all got hit by selling, but the Indoos still managed to finished the session with a 21-point gain. That was down about 75 points from the intraday high, but let’s not fret about it. When the three stalwarts get back in gear – today, perhaps? – look for the Dow Average to turn in a headline performance.

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Speaking of headliners, Apple hit an all-time high on Tuesday, boosted by a friendly word from broker UBS. The actual top was at 74.83, exactly 13 cents above the 74.70 rally target I’d proffered here a week ago. I’d recommended shorting at that price, a hidden pivot, and there was indeed a profit in the position by day’s end. However, the fact that the stock overshot its target by a mere 13 cents is nonetheless sufficient to imply that any pullback should be bought in anticipation of yet another leg up. Dow 11000 would hardly be worth celebrating without party animals like Apple and Google aboard, so look for those stocks get a little crazy when the eggnog starts to flow.