Dow hits new top.(Dow Jones Industrial Average)(Brief article)

The futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all-time high of 12006 on Oct. 12, with earnings season just around the corner. "Earning should come in good compared with last year when Katrina hit," says Scott Hoffman, senior broker at Daniels Trading LLC, and the Federal Reserve's current pause in hiking interest rates certainly helps. One uncertainty is the Republican majority after the midterm election. "Losing Republican seats to Democrats would be bad for stocks, most likely," Hoffman says. During November, he expects the Dow futures to hit 12000, with a downside of 11,600.

"I'm not bearish on the world," says John Welsh, SVP of …