Stocks end mostly up as gains extend into 4th week

US stocks ended mostly higher on Friday as major indexes extended gains for a 4th week in a row, a rare stretch for this year. After flitting between tiny gains and losses for most of the day, the Standard and Poor's 500 index rose just two-hundredths of one per cent to close at a record high. The Dow Jones industrial average ended slightly lower, but the losses were limited by a gain in energy shares, which have been falling sharply in recent months as oil prices drop. As of Friday, the S&P 500 is up 10 per cent so far this year. The S&P 500 rose 0.49 points to 2,039.82. The Dow slipped 18.05 points, or 0.1 per cent, to 17,634.74. The Nasdaq composite rose 8.4 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 4,688.54, according to AP.