U.S. stock traders dithered Friday as stock portfolios spent the day untouched.

The major indices were barely moved with the industrial sectors inching up, and the techs edging down.

Oil rose to $76 a barrel.

A report showing U.S. wholesale inventories climbed by the biggest amount in two years in July failed to enthuse.

"Nothing is exciting until 1,130 on the S&P 500. That's the number we're trying to push through," Linda Duessel, market strategist at Federated Investors in Pittsburgh was quoted by Reuters Thomson as saying.

"We need a decent piece of positive evidence to push us through 1,130. In the meantime we're stuck in a reasonably tight range," she said.

At the close of trading Friday the Dow Jones Industrials were up 9.38 points or 0.09% at 10,462.84.

The Nasdaq Composite was down 3.53 points or 0.16% at 2,242.48.

The Standard and Poor's 500 was up 1.05 points or 0.10% at 1,109.56.

The U.S. dollar was mixed around the New York close Friday. It was notionally lower against the euro at 1.2717. The Japanese yen slipped to 84.13 after Japan's government announced an $11 billion stimulus program.

The British pound was a touch weaker at 1.5361. The Swiss franc fell to 1.0182. The Australian dollar climbed to .9263. The Canadian dollar was stronger at 1.0354.