Dismal Year Closes With Modest Gains.(B)

Byline: CRAIG SHAW

NYSE stocks inched higher on the last trading day of 2002. The Dow rose 0.1%, the S&P 500 less than a point. Volume was well below average, with many trading desks sparsely populated before New Year's Eve.

For the year, the S&P 500 fell 23.4% and the Dow industrials 16.8%, the Dow's first three-year losing streak since 1939-41.

Zimmer Holdings climbed 0.90 to 41.52 on above-average volume. The maker of orthopedic implants and fracture management products earns a 99, or A+, Overall Rating from IBD Stock Checkup at investors.com. It places best in its 143-stock Medical-Products group in Overall and Fundamental Rank.

Iron Mountain vaulted 0.97 to 33.01 on fast turnover. The archive records and information management firm is trying to clear an eight-month base. It's expected to close 2002 with its first annual profit since 1996. Earnings are seen growing 16% and 28% the next two years.

Medicis Pharmaceutical rose 0.65 to 49.67, closing 23% off its 52-week high. More than 546,000 shares changed hands, twice its 50-day average. The maker of prescription acne and skin medications gets an A+ Industry Group RS Rating. Its profit and sales have grown every year since at least 1994.