US equities closed higher on Friday, with the Dow up 1.79% to a one‑month high, S&P up 1.20% and Nasdaq up 1.52%.
Top Dow gainers were Sherwin‑Williams (+3.67%), Home Depot (+3.62%) and Merck (+3.13%); biggest losers were Chevron (‑2.16%), Verizon (‑0.49%) and Johnson & Johnson (‑0.15%).
S&P leaders were Royal Caribbean (+7.34%), United Airlines (+7.12%) and Carnival (+6.96%); Nasdaq leaders included Energy Focu (+210.53%) and Forum Markets (+81.01%).
CBOE VIX fell 2.62% to 17.47 (one‑month low); gold futures rose 1.19% to $4,865.54/oz, while May crude fell 10.16% to $85.07/barrel.