US stocks close Friday higher, indexes post weekly gains

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - US stocks closed higher Friday as major indexes posted weekly gains.

The Dow rose 132 points, or 0.41%, to end the day at 32,237. The blue-chip index increased 0.4% this week.

The S&P 500 added 22 points, or 0.56% to finish the session at almost 3,971 as it marked a weekly gain of 1.4%.

The Nasdaq increased 36 points, or 0.31%, to close at nearly 11,824. The tech-heavy index marked a 1.6% gain for the week.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, fell 3.8% to 21.74, while the 10-year US Treasury yield lost 0.8% to 3.376%.

The dollar index rose 0.6% to 103.12, while the euro shed 0.6% to $1.0760 against the greenback.

Precious metals were mixed, with gold falling 0.8% to $1,978 per ounce but silver adding 0.4% to $23.21.

Crude oil prices were down around 1% with global benchmark Brent crude at $75.01 per barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude at $69.28.