T he Dow Jones Industrial Average held a modest gain Friday in mixed action among the major stock indexes. In the stock market today, health insurer UnitedHealth Group UNH surged more than 10% on news that the beaten-down name is a new buy for Warren Buffett.

US stock futures today opened on a mixed note, with the Dow Jones leading gains on the back of a sharp UnitedHealth rally, while Nasdaq futures dipped as chipmakers weighed on tech sentiment. Pre-market data shows investors balancing optimism over a likely Fed rate cut with caution after July’s hotter-than-expected inflation report.

US stocks were mixed on Friday as Wall Street tempered its rate-cut hopes amid economic data this week that showed higher-than-expected wholesale inflation and a rise in July retail sales. Traders also awaited Friday's meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin,

After the opening bell, the Dow rose 0.5%, as the S&P 500 gained 0.4%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite climbed 0.5% in morning trade. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq closed at record highs on Tuesday as rate-cut odds bolted higher following July inflation data.

A1. US Stock Market indexes are Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq. A2. Shares of leading homebuilders such as PulteGroup, Lennar, and D.R. Horton are up between 4.2 per cent and 8.8 per cent in the last week, as of midday Friday, thanks largely to the recent drop in mortgage lending rates.