Dow ends higher after UnitedHealth gains, other indexes slip on rate cut uncertainty

The blue-chip Dow Jones ended higher after hitting an intraday record high on Friday, as UnitedHealth’s shares jumped after Berkshire Hathaway raised its stake, but other Wall Street indexes slipped as mixed data clouded the Federal Reserve’s next monetary policy move

The blue-chip Dow Jones ended higher after hitting an intraday record high on Friday, as UnitedHealth’s shares jumped after Berkshire Hathaway raised its stake, but other Wall Street indexes slipped as mixed data clouded the Federal Reserve’s next monetary policy move.

A meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was also on the radar, with markets hoping it could pave the way for a resolution to the Ukraine conflict and determine the outlook for crude prices. The two leaders began a meeting in Alaska on Friday afternoon.

UnitedHealth Group rose almost 12%, its biggest single-day percentage rise since March 2020, after Warren Buffett’s company revealed a new investment in the health insurer, while Michael Burry’s Scion Asset Management also turned more bullish on the company.

Rising costs in the broader healthcare sector and about a 40% slump in UnitedHealth’s shares this year have left the Dow lagging its Wall Street peers on the road to record highs. The price-weighted index last scaled an all-time high on December 4.

The healthcare sector gained 1.65% on Friday, tracking its best weekly performance since October 2022.