retailers reported better than expected same-store sales results. the dollar, the big story today. that is why some of the machinery and materials companies did well today. and no stopping gold. gold s day hitting yet another new high. third straight day that we saw gold on the upside at a record. we ll discuss how long that run can last. and whether or not you want to be putting new money into gold or other commodities coming up. way off of the highs of the afternoon. take a look. up 60 points. 978 a is where the blue chip average finishes today s trading session on about # billion shares traded on wall street. about a gain of two-thirds of 1% on the dow. by the way, banks were mixed today, very much a mixed picture for the financial services sector. we did have strength as i mentioned moments ago in the materials sector. s&p picking up about five points. bob pisani on the floor of the nyse with all the action. we re off of our highs, slight disappointment with the 30-year