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NEW YORK – Investors’ bear market-ravaged portfolios haven’t kept them away from financial advisers – Wall Street’s recent fluctuations have many people looking for suggestions about their next move. 

“I think the market’s convinced a lot of people that it’s not as easy to do it on your own as you might think,” said Gary Fry, a Dallas-based broker for Merrill Lynch. Fry said he’s seeing an increase in business from investors who might not have sought professional advice in the past. 

“It’s not brain surgery, but it takes some expertise,” he said. 

Many individual investors have shied away from the market for months, discouraged by the bear market in technology and other stocks that has sliced into many stock portfolios. But now, some investors are going back in. 

This past week, the pressure on technology appeared to ease somewhat, with issues like Cisco Systems and JDS Uniphase notching double-digit percentage gains. Those advances appeared to encourage some investors, although stock market experts say most of the buying on Wall Street is still being done by professional money managers, not individuals. 

Income tax filing season is partly responsible for the recent increase in brokers’ business. At a Charles Schwab & Co. branch in Denver, 20 people waited in the lobby Thursday to invest in Individual Retirement Accounts and get a tax deduction before this year’s April 16 deadline. 

“It’s the tax advantages, but people are more interested in stocks than they were a few months ago,” said Katie Cyester, a Schwab planner. “There’s the feeling that the market is probably near its low, so they feel comfortable investing.” 

Ray Mignone, a certified financial planner in Great Neck, N.Y., said he recently started moving more of his clients’ cash into equities, although he’s not expecting an immediate payback. 

“This is mostly for the long term,” he said. “If you have over five years before you need the money, this may be a good time to buy.” 

But many investors remain more skittish than enthusiastic about the market and the economy’s prospects. 

“You have some people looking at their portfolios and saying, ’Well, I bought CMGI at $140 and now it’s less than $3 a share, What should I do?”’ Cyester, the Denver planner, said. 

“My clients are worried. We have a big Chrysler plant here that’s talking about 1,000 job cuts and my small business owner clients are telling me they’re worried about cash flow,” said Toni Kofoed, an American Express adviser in Rockford, Ill., who has fielded calls from investors wondering if they should liquidate their assets. 

Still, she says, “Most of the people I work with haven’t wavered from their regular investments, but maybe they’ve gotten more conservative and have put more cash aside.” 

All the advisers say their clients are more receptive than ever to diversifying their portfolios, especially those who have only been in the market for a few years and might have focused heavily on technology stocks. 

“We try to come up with a game plan and stick to it,” said Fry, the Dallas broker, describing the longer-term strategies he devises for his clients. “Sometimes people do have an emotional attachment to stocks, but it’s my job to make sure their portfolios are diversified.” 

What investors want to know now is where the market’s headed – a question advisers can’t answer. 

“I see people who feel that we’ve kind of reached a bottom and they call me to verify and get my opinion,” Kofoed, the Illinois planner, said. “I try to tell them about what to watch for, but it’s really hard to know.” 

The trading week ended Thursday, with the markets closed for Good Friday. 

The Nasdaq composite index rose 241.07 or 14 percent for the week, its largest percentage gain since the 5-day trading week ending June 2. It closed at 1,961.43 after a 62.48-point climb Thursday, the index’s longest winning streak since the four days ending Sept. 1. 

The Dow Jones industrials closed up 113.47 at 10,126.94 Thursday, giving the blue chips a gain of 335.85, or 3.4 percent, for the week. 

The Standard & Poor’s 500, the market’s broadest measure, advanced 55.07, or 4.9 percent, for the week. It closed at 1,183.50 after closing up 17.61 on Thursday. 

The Russell 2000 index, which measures the performance of smaller companies stocks, rose 5.77 to 455.02 Thursday, creating a gain of 20.36, or 4.7 percent, for the week. 

The Wilshire Associates Equity Index – which represents the combined market value of all New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange and Nasdaq issues – ended the week at $10.853 trillion, up $534.15 billion from the previous week. A year ago the index stood at $13.335 trillion.