NEW YORK, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. stock indexes edged higher Friday -- the year's final day of trading.

The Dow Jones industrial average was up 14.18 points to 12,515.70 in mid-morning trading. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index gained 0.69 to 1,425.42. The Nasdaq Composite Index added 6.51 to 2,432.08.

Shares of Apple gained 4 percent after the company said it would restate financial data going back to 2002 and take an $84 million charge. A board committee found the computer and iPod maker had misdated thousands of stock-option grants.

Regular trading will be closed Monday for the New Year's holiday. Major U.S. exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market, will also be closed Tuesday to mark the death of former U.S. President Gerald Ford.

The 10-year Treasury note fell 4/32, or $1.25 per each $1,000 invested, to yield 4.704 percent, while the 30-year note lost 4/32, yielding 4.819 percent.

The euro traded at $1.3172 from $1.3146 Thursday, and the dollar was at 119.09 yen from 118.91 yen late Thursday.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index closed up 0.01 percent to finish a half-day session at 17,225.83 -- the Nikkei's highest close since May 9. Friday's finish also marked the fourth straight year of growth and the Nikkei's highest year-end close since 1999.

AT&T-BellSouth deal OK nears

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- AT&T Inc. made consumer-friendly concessions to get U.S. approval of its proposed $85 billion merger with BellSouth Corp., it was reported Friday.

The concessions, in a 20-page filing to the Federal Communications Commission Thursday night, could lead to the FCC's agreeing to the merger Friday, The Wall Street Journal and San Antonio Express-News reported.

In its filing, San Antonio's AT&T agreed to offer high-speed DSL Internet service to residential customers for less than $20 a month and cap prices on high-volume data lines used by business customers, the newspapers said.

It also agreed to observe numerous "network neutrality" principles so it would treat all Internet content equally. Consumer groups and some Internet companies have been pressing the FCC for weeks to make this a condition of approving the merger.

The deal would be the largest in U.S. telecommunications-merger history.

AT&T and FCC officials were unavailable for comment, the newspapers said.

Gold is North Korea sanctions loophole

LONDON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- North Korea plans to use the London gold market to get around financial sanctions imposed by the international community, it was reported Friday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has relisted North Korea's central bank with the London Bullion Market Association and plans to sell gold through London once the country gets a regular supply from its outdated mines, The Times of London reported.

Foreign investors, including London's Chosun Development and Investment Fund, are helping North Korea develop its mines, the Times said.

North Korea's entry into the gold market would damage U.S. efforts to limit North Korea's ability to pay for weapons of mass destruction and nuclear materials, the newspaper said.

The United Nations imposed financial sanctions against North Korea in October after Pyongyang claimed to have detonated a nuclear device. Gold sales are not covered by the sanctions.

Sony to pay $4.25M for music CD bugs

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Sony has agreed to pay $4.25 million to consumers in 40 U.S. states after its music division put anti-copying software on music CDs without notifying consumers.

Sony BMG Music Entertainment's "hidden software" violated state laws and "put consumers' computers at risk," Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro said on behalf of the 40 states.

Sony will give refunds of up to $175 to consumers whose computers were harmed when they sought to remove the anti-copying software, The Insurance Journal reported. Refund claims must be submitted through a claims process on Sony's Web site.

The states alleged Sony distributed more than 12 million CDs in 1995 with two kinds of anti-copying software. Consumers were not informed the CDs had the software.

One version, called XCP, hid a number of files. So consumers playing XCP CDs on computers running Windows operating systems unknowingly downloaded the anti-copying software.

Consumers complained this created vulnerabilities by exposing them to viruses and other security exploits.