On Friday, US stocks made gains as hopes for a peaceful transition to the Biden administration offset concerns about soaring COVID-19 cases.<br />Business Insider reports S&P 500 closed at a record high.<br />On Thursday Pres. Donald Trump said he'd hand over power when the Electoral College certifies President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election.<br />The US reported 125,082 new coronavirus cases on Thursday.<br />That brought the seven-day average to 163,831, according to the COVID Tracking Project.<br />Deaths topped 254,000, and hospitalizations jumped above 90,000.<br />The stock market's "fear gauge" fell as low as 19.51 on Friday, dropping amid low trading volumes to its lowest level since the pandemic began.
