Asking for a Trend host Julie Hyman looks back on Friday’s trading day, diving into trends surrounding consumer sentiment, the week’s stock market rally, and activist investing.

The focus opens on stock markets (^DJI, ^IXIC, ^GSPC), which closed in positive territory for the week, sparked by a rally in tech stocks. Yahoo Finance markets and data editor Jared Blikre breaks down the top factors driving this upward trend.

Consumer sentiment takes center stage as the University of Michigan’s index slightly tops expectations. However, Yahoo Finance markets reporter Josh Schafer examines the mixed picture presented by the Levkovich Index, which shows sentiment remains below “euphoric” levels.

The show concludes with a spotlight on the rising tide of activist investor activity. Vinson & Elkins partner and co-chair of shareholder activism practice, Patrick Gadson, joins to discuss how major corporations like Starbucks (SBUX) are navigating this landscape.

This post was written by Angel Smith