NEW YORK – The Dow closed above 14,000 on Friday for the first time in more than five years.

Sure, it was just a number on a board. But it was enough to raise the hopes of some investors and cause others concern about an overheated market. And it brought reminders of a different era, back before the financial crisis rocked the world economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average, a stock market index that is supposed to be a benchmark for how the entire market is faring, had been rising fairly steadily for about a month. On Friday, strong auto sales and optimism about U.S. jobs pushed it over the mark. The Dow is now just 155 points away from its highest close ever.