Stocks Edged Higher, Dow Posted 11th Straight Record

U.S. stocks edged higher on Friday, with the Dow extending its streak of record-setting gains to 11 days, as increases in utilities and other safety plays outweighed declines in financials. At close, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 11.44 points, or 0.05%, to 20,821.76. The S&P 500 gained 3.53 points, or 0.15%, to 2,367.34. The Nasdaq Composite added 9.80 points, or 0.17%, to 5,845.31. Both the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq rose for a fifth straight week, while the Dow brought its string of weekly gains to three.

Oil futures ended lower Friday, as investors booked a profit after a day after a surprise reading on U.S. stockpiles helped lift the domestic crude benchmark to its highest close in more than a year and a half. Light, sweet crude futures for delivery in April fell 46 cents, or 0.8%, to close at $53.99 a barrel. April Brent crude dropped 59 cents, or 1%, to settle at $55.99 a barrel.