THE GULF WAR: The Battle Front : Market Update

DOW INDUSTRIALS: Reports of success by U.S.-led forces in the first concerted ground fighting pushed the index up 50.50 points to 2,713.12.

OIL: Crude prices fell 88 cents to $20.97 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

CREDIT MARKETS: Bond prices declined.

METALS: Gold tumbled $7.60 an ounce to $368.80 on New York’s Commodity Exchange.

CURRENCY: The dollar staged a moderate advance amid signs that the Persian Gulf conflict was shifting from an air to a ground war.