US stocks kick off last trading day of week with gains

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - Major US stock exchanges opened higher Friday to kick off the last trading of the week with gains.

The blue-chip Dow Jones rose 78 points, or 0.24%, to 33,388 at 9.41 am EDT. The S&P 500 also added 12 points, or 0.3%, at 4,141.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq increased 22 points, or 0.18%, to reach 12,351.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, fell 2.6% to 16.48. The 10-year US Treasury yield, meanwhile, added 0.1% to 3.399%.

The dollar index increased 0.2% to 102.24, while the euro declined 0.3% to $1.0882 against the greenback.

Precious metals were mixed, with gold rising 0.2% to $2,020 per ounce but silver trimming 0.4% to $24.04.

Oil prices increased more than 0.8%, with global benchmark Brent crude at $75.60 per barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate at $71.44.