Around the World's Markets: New York

US STOCKS were mixed as 1998 drew to a record-breaking close.

The Dow Jones fell 93.21 to 9181.43, buffeted by computer-guided buy and sell programs at the end of the session, but it is up 16 per cent for the year. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index fell 2.54 to 1229.39, up 27 per cent for 1998. The Nasdaq Composite Index, full of software, semiconductor and computer-makers' shares, gained 25.75 to 2192.70, finishing the year with a 40 per cent gain.