US equity markets advanced, with both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq booking fresh record highs - Dow rose +464-points or +1.04% to 44,922.27, settling within 0.2% of its record closing high in December. UnitedHealth Group Inc (up +3.91%) was the leading performer in the 30-stock index for a second session running, while Merck & Co Inc (+3.00%) and Nike Inc (+3.07%) both rose ~3%.
