Stocks Extend Weekly Winning Streaks As Rate Hike Looms

U.S. stocks finished higher for the week Friday and fractionally higher for the session as Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen signaled a March rate hike was likely appropriate. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced 2.74 points to finish at 21,005.71, led higher by shares of Caterpillar Inc. and Merck & Co . For the week, the Dow closed up 0.9%, for a fourth week of gains. The S&P 500 index closed 1.20 points higher at 2,383.12, with financial and health-care stocks leading gains. For the week, the S&P 500 closed up 0.7%, for a sixth winning week. The Nasdaq Composite index finished up 9.53 points, or 0.2%, at 5,870.75, for a 0.4% gain on the week, notching a sixth straight week of gains.