Closing bell: S&P 500 extends winning streak – Take-Two, UnitedHealth and Virgin Galatic in focus

On Wall Street, the S&P 500 recorded its fifth consecutive day of gains on Friday. Investors weren't fazed by weak consumer sentiment data or persistent inflation fears heading into the weekend. Among individual stocks , Applied Materials, Cisco, Take-Two, UnitedHealth, and Virgin Galatic were in focus.

The rally continued at the end of the week, even though the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index fell to its second-lowest reading ever. Consumers also expect prices to rise by 7.3 percent next year – up from 6.5 percent in the previous month. Nevertheless, the markets were undeterred. The upswing was driven by the easing of the trade dispute between the US and China. Earlier this week, both countries agreed to a 90-day pause in tariff measures , easing investor fears of an escalation in global trade tensions and growing risks to the global economy.

For the week, the S&P 500 is up a solid five percent, the Dow added three percent, and the Nasdaq 100 also climbed by about three percent. A higher close on Friday also marked an impressive streak of five consecutive gains for the S&P 500. Technology stocks, in particular, were in top form: Nvidia shares shot up by over ten percent, and AMD gained nine percent. This was due to deals with Saudi Arabia.

In the Dow Jones, UnitedHealth led the gainers' list with a gain of more than six percent. However, this is little consolation for investors, as the stock lost about a quarter of its value this week – a devastating weekly loss. According to AKTIONÄR's calculations, UnitedHealth's share price slide cost the leading US index approximately 760 points this week.

Applied Materials shares, however, lost significant ground on Friday after the rally of the past few days, falling five percent. The chip industry supplier had given a cautious outlook for the current quarter and pointed to potential costs from the trade dispute.

Shares of network equipment manufacturer Cisco declined by one percent after a strong previous day. Despite the daily loss, Cisco remains positive on the weekly horizon, recording a three percent increase.

Investors at game developer Take-Two were disappointed with the company's fiscal year targets. Quarterly figures were mixed, and the stock lost about two percent. A jump to a record high at the start of trading proved to be a false breakout.

A highlight, however, was the Virgin Galactic share, which almost doubled at times and recently recorded a 43 percent increase. Analysts praised the space company's first-quarter figures. The focus is on plans for the new Delta spacecraft and the first private flights into space, which may launch in 2026. The Space Index also benefited from this, with Virgin Galactic having a weighting of around 11 percent.