S&P, Nasdaq post 3rd straight weekly loss

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - US stocks closed in positive territory Friday but the S&P and the Nasdaq posted losses for the third straight week.

The Dow increased 176 points, or 0.53%, to finish the last trading day of the week at 33,203.

The S&P 500 added 22 points, or 0.59%, to end the session at 3,844. The tech-heavy Nasdaq rose 21 points, or 0.21%, to close at 10,497. Despite the daily gains, the two indices could not avoid posting weekly losses.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, fell 4.6% to 20.95. The 10-year US Treasury yield increased 2.2% to 3.751%.

The dollar index fell 0.1% to 104.34, while the euro gained 0.25% to $1.0620 against the greenback.

Precious metals turned positive with the price of gold adding 0.25% to $1,797 per ounce and silver rising 0.7% to $23.75.

Crude oil prices gained ground. Global benchmark Brent crude was up 4.4% to $84.54 per barrel. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude was around $79.63 – up 2.8%.