GOLD

Friday, the Dow gained 66.22 points, or 0.50 percent, to 13,212.04 at the close. The S&P 500 Index gained 5.19 points, or 0.37 percent, to 1,408.47, while the Nasdaq Composite dipped 3.79 points, or 0.12 percent, to 3,091.57. The uptick capped U.S. stocks' strongest quarter in more than two years.

At the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards held in Las Vegas April 1, 2012, the stars shone in their elaborate red-carpet ensembles.

Mali's junta leader promised to reinstate the constitution from Sunday, hours before a deadline set by West African neighbors to start handing over power, and as rebels encircled the ancient trading post of Timbuktu.

Gold prices will continue to rise steadily throughout the next 12 months, as long as the U.S. economy maintains its tepid recovery, according to a note recently released by Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Stocks and other risky assets rallied Friday, rounding out the quarter with even more price gains on a day that encapsulated the main developments of the year so far: encouraging news out of Europe, better-than-expected consumer sentiment in the United States, and the perceived and steady pull of inflation.

The Higgs boson -- aka the God particle -- grabs headlines these days, but physicists are working on other fascinating experiments that could impact our daily lives and provide fundamental insights into the nature of the universe. Here's a roundup of a few of the notable findings and lingering questions in the field of physics.

Gold prices rose on Friday as the dollar fell to a one-month low against a basket of currencies, including the euro, after European finance ministers agreed to boost the euro zone's debt crisis firewall to roughly 800 billion euros ($1.1 trillion).

Sixty-nine-year-old California hiker Robert Biggs claims that he was attacked by a mountain lion and saved by a bear.

Robert Biggs, 69 of Paradise, Calif, had a pretty wild encounter when he went out for a hike on Monday. Hiking near Whiskey Flats, Biggs stopped to watch a mother bear and her cub by a stream, but was jumped from behind by another animal when he turned to leave.

Positive jobs data from the U.S. and Germany were not enough to keep investors bullish Thursday, as a moderate asset sell-off continued, with traders apparently squaring up their positions in anticipation of earnings season.

Palladium prices are set to soar this year, buoyed by high levels of speculative buying, unwavering industrial demand and the general upward price pressure commodity metals are seeing in a zero-interest rate environment, according to a report issued Thursday.

Shares of AOL (NYSE: AOL), the seventh most-visited website, have gained nearly 7 percent this week after the company said a patent sale is an option to increase shareholder value.

Gold prices slipped below $1,660 an ounce in Europe on Thursday, extending their retreat from two-week highs into a third session, as the dollar recovered from a near one-month low and crude oil prices turned lower.

Although The Hunger Games movie was a huge box office success, racist comments pertaining to the character of Rue as well as criticism over Jennifer Lawrence's too curvy figure have flooded the Internet and sullied the artistic endeavor attempted by the film.

Stocks fell Wednesday as investors were disappointed by a weaker-than-expected reading on durable goods orders, while a plunge in oil prices dragged energy and material shares lower.

James Franco is known for his portrayals of famous Hollywood men and women alike, but his newest portrayal may be purely accidental and hilarious.

Gold-Ore Resources Ltd. said Wednesday it was increasing the underground reserves at its Bjorkdal gold mine in Sweden by 210 percent.

AuRico Gold Inc (NYSE:AUQ), a North American gold producer, reported higher earnings for the fourth quarter and the 2011 year on increased production.

Johnson and his partners are buying the Los Angeles Dodgers from owner Frank McCourt for a record $2 billion, yet another chapter in the life of a perennial comeback kid and a sign that the Dodgers are in good hands. Take a look back at Johnson's tumultuous but ultimately legendary career in our timeline of the American icon here, and see how his struggles in the past could help the L.A. Dodgers in the future.

Canadian gold miner Kirkland Lake Gold said it will buy Queenston Mining's 50 percent stake in certain joint venture properties for C$60 million ($60 million) to develop its inventory of the precious minerals.

Gold prices slid below $1,680 an ounce on Wednesday, extending the previous day's retreat from two-week highs as the momentum sparked by expectations for further monetary easing faded after the metal failed to break through key resistance.