Friday, 5 June 2026: US equity markets firmer amid yet another bout of optimism around a resolution to the US-Iran conflict

US equity markets firmer amid yet another bout of optimism around a resolution to the US-Iran conflict, while there was also a pivot from certain technology stocks into more defensive sectors  – Dow rallied +875-points or +1.73% to a record closing high of 51,561.93. UnitedHealth Group Inc rose +5.16% to be the leading Dow component, with analysts at Bank of America upgrading their recommendation in the health insurer to ‘Buy’ and lifting their price target to US$450 (from US$420 previously), citing expectations of improving margins as a result of more favourable medical cost trends. Goldman Sachs Group Inc (+4.96%) and Merck & Co Inc (+4.85%) also gained ~5%.