The Dow stayed hot to close out the week, adding 125 points for an eighth-straight win -- its best winning streak since July. The S&P 500 logged a more modest win while the Nasdaq finished just below breakeven.

For the week, all three benchmarks settled higher, the blue-chip index logging its fourth-straight weekly win and best performance since Dec. 1. Elsewhere, Wall Street's "fear gauge," the Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) turned in its third consecutive week in the red.

OIL, GOLD PRICES POST WEEKLY GAINS

Oil prices added 0.2% this week, but ended Friday lower as investors weighed supply and demand worries amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East. For the session, June-dated West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude shed $1.00, or 1.3%, at $78.26 a barrel.

Gold prices settled at a three-week high, as an interest-rate cut looked more likely to happen before the end of the year. June-dated gold futures added $34.70, or 1.5, to trade at $2,375 per ounce today, and gained 2.9% this week.  

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