U.S. stocks closed higher Friday as equities digested Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Janet Yellen's remarks and investors remained cautious ahead of first quarter earnings in April. The dollar traded slightly lower as the euro gained to trade near $1.09. Light sweet crude oil for May delivery dropped 5 percent to $48.87 a barrel on easing fears of disruption from conflict in Yemen and the likelihood of a deal in Iran that could increase supply. Also on the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures fell $5.00 to $1,199.80 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average added 34.43, or 0.19 percent, to 17,712.66. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index increased 4.87, or 0.24 percent, to 2,061.02. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 27.86, or 0.57 percent, to 4,891.22.
