The Dow closed up 20.57 points to day which brings it to 13,971.55 and even though this is only 0.15%, it was a historic day. During the trading hours, the Dow Jones Industrial Average went above 14,000 several times and reached an intraday record high of 14,012.68.

It is interesting to note that many of the so-called experts are somewhat divided over what this means for the world of the stock market. Some of the analysts are saying that this is a sign of good times and with the quarterly earnings reports that are being released this week showing positive numbers it is a great time to get involved.

On the other side of the fence, are those analysts who say that we should be concerned. With the rising oil prices and the issues with the sub-prime mortgage market lately, they may be correct in being concerned that the patterns of this market are not what they should be given the events that are going on in the economy.

Whichever side of the fence you are on, it would be wise to carefully research every buy, sell, or hold decision that you make. You don’t want buy or hold if the price is likely to fall, but you don’t want to sell yourself short either. What ever you decide, the Dow broke 14,000 and that is reason for many people to celebrate.