Dow 13,000: the Dow is again above 13,000 The Dow's flirtation with 13,000 continued as encouraging consumer confidence data buoyed trader spirits. Stan Honda / Getty Images February 28, 2012, 10:08 a.m. As usual recently, the Dow Jones industrial average has climbed above 13,000 in early trading as a rise in consumer confidence is outweighing disappointing durable-goods orders. The Dow sagged briefly Tuesday morning after a much bigger-than-expected drop in capital-goods orders. An earlier report showed home prices sagging to their worst point since the housing collapse began in 2006. But investor spirits were buoyed by the consumer-sentiment gauge, which suggested that Americans will continue to open their wallets. An index maintained by the Conference Board, a New York research firm, jumped to 70.8 this month, far better than the 63 predicted by economists and a big jump from 61.5 in January. It was the best reading in a year. That helped propel the Dow higher. As of 9:20 a.m. PST, the index was up 22.85 points, or 0.18%, to 13,004.70. The Dow has eclipsed the 13,000 level several times over the last week, only to slide back by the end of the day. The Dow's fate may be sealed in the next two weeks when a bevy of economic data is set to be released, including February unemployment data on March 9. Better luch next time