The broader S&P and NASDAQ index snapped 4-day winning streaks, while the Dow industrial average extended its streak to 5 days. UnitedHealth soared by 7.27% today and was responsible for over 200 points of the Dow’s gains today. The Dow closed up $113.89 points.

A snapshot of the market shows

• Dow industrial average rose 113.89 points or 0.33% at 34509.04
• S&P index fell -4.64 points or -0.10% at 4505.41
• NASDAQ index fell -24.88 points or -0.18% at 14113.69

The small-cap Russell 2000 fell -19.80 points or -1.01% at 1931.08

The winning sectors today were led by:

• Healthcare, +1.5%
• Consumer staples +0.35%
• Consumer discretionary, +0.27%

The lagging sectors today included:

• Energy -2.75%
• Financials -0.68%, and
• Communication services, -0.62%

The top Dow stocks this week included:

• Salesforce +9.42%
• 3M +5.15%
• Home Depot +4.55%
• Caterpillar was 4.27%

The laggards of the Dow this week included:

• Verizon -5.21%
• Travelers -3.33%
• Merck -1.5%
• Cisco -1.20%

A look at the major indices this week showed gains across the board:

• Dow industrial average rose 2.29%
• S&P index rose 2.42%
• NASDAQ index rose 3.32%
• Russell 2000 rose 3.56%

This article was written by Greg Michalowski at www.forexlive.com.