Berkshire Stake Spurs UnitedHealth Rally as Applied Materials Tumbles on Outlook

U.S. equity futures were broadly steady on Friday, but several high-profile stocks swung sharply in pre-market trading after fresh corporate disclosures and guidance updates. UnitedHealth Group jumped about 11% and Nucor rose 6% after Berkshire Hathaway’s quarterly 13F filing revealed new positions in the health insurer and steelmaker. The disclosure also lifted homebuilders Lennar and D.R. Horton, which Berkshire already holds, while small-cap indices outperformed the broader market. Chip-equipment supplier Applied Materials sank roughly 13% after it issued weaker-than-expected guidance and pointed to softer semiconductor demand amid continuing U.S.–China trade tensions. By contrast, Intel added 2.5%, extending the prior session’s gains on reports that Washington is discussing taking a stake in the company to bolster domestic chip manufacturing. Investors are also awaiting July retail-sales and consumer-sentiment data later in the day, following hotter-than-forecast producer-price inflation figures earlier in the week.