By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) - Major stock exchanges in the US closed Friday with gains, posting their best weekly performance so far this year.
The Dow Jones increased 96 points, or 0.24%, to finish the session at 40,659. The blue-chip index rose 2.9% this week.
The S&P 500 added 11 points, or 0.2%, to 5,554 as it recorded a weekly gain of 3.9%.
The Nasdaq increased almost 37 points, or 0.21%, to close the day at 17,631. The tech-heavy index saw a rise of 5.2% for the week.
The VIX volatility index, also known as the fear index, fell 2.8% to 14.80. The 10-year US Treasury yield declined 1.1% to 3.883%.
The US dollar index lost 0.53% to 102.44, while the euro rose 0.47% to $1.1023 against the greenback.
Precious metals saw major gains, with gold adding 2.1% to $2,508 per ounce and silver increasing 2.2% to $28.98.
Oil prices were down more than 1.5%, with global benchmark Brent crude at $79.77 per barrel and US benchmark West Texas Intermediate at $76.69.