US stocks were little changed on Friday but managed to post weekly gains ahead of the final trading week of the year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dropped just below its record close from Wednesday. The S&P 500 (^GSPC) and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) both fell below the flat line amid thin post-Christmas trading. All three major averages gained more than 1% during the shortened holiday trading week. Meanwhile, precious metals continued a torrid rally, with gold (GC=F) and silver ...