The Dow extended its rally on Wednesday to add 90 points, while also logging its sixth-straight daily gain -- the blue-chip benchmark's longest win streak since March. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 clawed higher to nab a record close, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq settled with a small loss. Wall Street's fear gauge, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX), notched its worst losing streak since March, after falling for the sixth consecutive session.

Covid-19 headlines dominated Wall Street's attention today, including news that the U.S. reached a record seven-day average of 265,000 new cases per day, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Elsewhere, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned new variants that are resistant to current vaccines may emerge, should the pandemic go on.

The Dow Jones Average (DJI - 36,488.63) rose 90.4 points or 0.3% for the day. Wall Greens Boots Alliance (WBA) led the gainers, adding 1.6%, while Boeing (BA) paced the laggards with a 1.2% fall.

The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 4,793.06) added 6.7 point or 0.1% for the day. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq Composite (IXIC -15,766.22) shed 15.5 points, or 0.1% for the day.

Lastly, the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX - 16.59) dropped 0.6 points or 3.4% for the day.

OIL PRICES NOTCH BEST WIN STREAK SINCE FEBRUARY

Oil prices logged their sixth-straight win on Wednesday, marking their best win streak since February. Boosting black gold today was a large drop in U.S. crude inventories, which pointed to higher energy demand despite the impacts of the Covid-19 omicron variant. February-dated crude added 58 cents, or 0.8%, to finish at $76.56 per barrel.

Meanwhile, gold prices settled lower, though they still managed to close above the psychologically significant $1,800 level. Today's negative price action followed rising Treasury yields, and came in spite of a weaker U.S. dollar. February-dated gold shed $5.10, or 0.3%, to close at $1,805.80 per ounce.