Dow hits new record, S&P posts 4th consecutive winning month

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Dow Jones industrial average hit a new record on Friday, and the S&P posted its fourth consecutive winning month.

The Dow, which includes 30 prominent American companies, rose 228 points, or 0.55%, to close at 41,563. The blue-chip index rose almost 1.8% in August, and also posted its fourth straight winning month.

The S&P 500, meanwhile, added 56 points, or 1.01%, to end the day at 5,648. The index soared 2.3% this month.

The Nasdaq, meanwhile, was up 197 points, or 1.13%, to 17,713. The tech-heavy index rose 0.7% for the month of August.

The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, fell 4.1% to 15.00. The 10-year US Treasury yield added 1.1% to 3.909%.

The dollar index increased 0.4% to 101.73, while the euro decreased 0.27% to $1.1048 against the greenback.

Precious metals were in the red, with gold losing 0.7% to $2,503 per ounce and silver declining 1.9% to $28.86.

Oil prices were down more than 2.2%, with global benchmark Brent crude at $77.05 and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate at $73.65.