Ford (F) shares rose on Wednesday after the Big Three automaker reported second quarter results that topped expectations, in addition to upbeat guidance driven by strong profit growth.
The financial update came as investors questioned whether Ford's management could follow rival General Motors (GM) in lifting its full-year outlook.
Ford reported Q2 automotive revenue of $44.89 billion on Tuesday, versus $44.72 billion expected per Bloomberg consensus, with adjusted EPS of $0.42 versus $0.36 expected. Adjusted EBIT came in at $2.5 billion compared to $2.15 billion estimated, translating to an adjusted EBIT margin of 5.2%, up a strong 0.9% compared to a year ago.
The big quarter and outlook for the back half allowed Ford to raise its guidance, with the automaker now seeing full-year adjusted EBIT of $10 billion to $11 billion (from $8.5 billion to $10.5 billion) and adjusted free cash flow of $6.0 billion to $7.0 billion (from $5.0 billion to $6.0 billion).
Ford stock popped almost 4% in premarket trade as investors **** sed the earnings, after jumping over 8% soon after its release.

#guidance #strong

AI is now greatly advancing both sides of the cybersecurity war, with data increasingly favoring attackers. This isn't an isolated data point, as Check Point's 2026 Cyber Security Report, its 14th annual study, found that organizations fell victim to an average of 1,968 cyberattacks per week back in 2025, a 70% increase from 2023, as attackers increasingly make use of automation and AI to move more quickly and operate across a number of attack surfaces at the same time. Meanwhile, Mandiant's M-Trends 2026 report further highlights the timeframe problem: 28.3% of revealed vulnerabilities are now exploited in less than 24 hours, with time-to-exploit effectively negative when ******* aults arrive before patches.
That narrow window between vulnerability discovery and attack is exactly the dynamic that is altering business security budgets, and Wall Street sees CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) as one of the companies best positioned to gain from it. In fiscal Q1 2027, the company's revenue reached $1.39 billion, up 26% year-over-year, while ending ARR was a record $5.51 billion, up 24%, with net new ARR of $256 million increasing 32% year-over-year, indicating an acceleration rather than a slowing in the pace of new business. Profitability scaled alongside the expansion, with non-GAAP net income growing to $283 million from $184.7 million the year before.
Although CrowdStrike's underlying trajectory remains robust, its valuation multiple is the key source of concern for institutional investors. Shares are currently trading at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 119.92x, which is a significant premium above prominent cybersecurity rivals such as Palo Alto Networks (84.74x), SentinelOne (39x), and Zscaler (32.72x). At almost 120x forward earnings, the current stock price requires sustained mid-to-high 20% annual revenue growth and continued margin improvement over several years to justify trading levels in hindsight.
Against this backdrop, Stifel's July 17 price target increase to $230 from $220, following investor meetings with CrowdStrike's CFO on AI tailwinds, fiscal 2027 confidence, and Falcon Flex traction, reads as sell-side confirmation of a growth story already supported by the company's own numbers, rather than primary evidence for it.
The firm also cited a growing sales pipeline supporting confidence in CrowdStrike's net-new annual recurring revenue guidance increase issued last quarter, as well as management's stated willingness to increase the size and pace of acquisitions, which would be funded with a combination of stock and debt.

#revenue

Scale AI announced Thursday that its board of directors has appointed Francis deSouza as chief executive officer, effective Aug. 10, 2026. At Google Cloud, deSouza held the roles of chief operating officer and president of security products before taking on the CEO position at Scale.
Before joining Google Cloud, deSouza served as president and CEO of Illumina, a publicly traded genomics company, where the company's revenue grew to more than $4.5 billion and its operations expanded across more than 150 countries, Scale said. His earlier career included a stint as president of products and services at Symantec, and he founded two startups that Microsoft and Symantec each went on to acquire. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT.
deSouza replaces Jason Droege, who has led Scale as interim CEO since June 2025. Droege will work with deSouza over the coming months to ****** ist with the transition, the company said.
"Scale sits at a rare intersection of frontier model development and real-world deployment, and the opportunity for continued growth and success is enormous," deSouza said in a statement. "My focus will be getting Scale's solutions into more businesses and governments, delivering the best data for AI labs, and showing our value through provable outcomes."
Scale AI founder Alexandr ****** , who now serves as chairman of the board, said in a statement that deSouza "has led and scaled complex, technical businesses, and understands what it takes to serve both enterprises and governments at the highest level of trust and reliability."

#scale

By Karen Brettell
July 30 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks gained on Thursday as Microsoft's forecast-beating results eased investor worries about massive AI spending by companies, while 30-year Treasury yields scaled a 19-year peak after the Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, stoking concerns about longer-term inflation.
The ***** anese yen also gained sharply, prompting speculation that ***** anese officials intervened ‌to shore up the beleaguered currency.
Microsoft rose 17% after the company forecast current-quarter sales and cloud growth that beat expectations, issued a capital expenditure outlook below Wall Street estimates, and ‌said it expects to keep generating cash through the just-started fiscal 2027.
Investors have been rattled by rising AI costs at big technology firms even as they report strong earnings. Negative cash-flow reports from Alphabet and Tesla last week sparked a bout of selling in AI-linked stocks, with chip stocks also under pressure as investors questioned high valuations.

#japanese #forecast #karen

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Record revenues were driven by strong underlying demand in traditional high-stakes markets like bankruptcy, antitrust, and investigations, though bottom-line results fell short due to timing gaps in the U.K. and geopolitical disruptions in the Middle East.
The U.K. shortfall is viewed as a temporary 'air pocket' caused by the conclusion of major cases coinciding with the European summer vacation season, delaying the start of new engagements.
Middle East operations face more durable uncertainty as geopolitical instability has led to client purchase suspensions and project start delays, despite a high-quality team being in place.
Management remains committed to aggressive senior talent acquisition, particularly in EMEA, noting that while current revenue growth is in the mid-to-high single digits, the infrastructure is built for higher aspirations.

#geopolitical #management

Microsoft (MSFT) stock rocketed 14% higher on Thursday after posting better-than-anticipated earnings results powered by strong growth in its Copilot and Azure offerings. The company also tamed its spending a hair, saying it is extending the useful life of some data centers and offices, helping to move that spending out of capex.
It's a different story for Meta (META), though. Shares of the social media giant fell more than 9% in early trading as the company failed to provide spending guidance for 2027 and its cash pile dwindled.
Qualcomm (QCOM) stock also slid despite beating expectations on revenue for the quarter, as slowing smartphone sales bit into its outlook.
Up next, Amazon (AMZN) and Apple (AAPL) will report their results after the bell today, as investors look for more insights into Amazon's spending and the impact of the memory shortage on Apple's bottom line.
Microsoft (MSFT) surged more than 15% in early trading on Thursday.

#thursday

Brentford are moving decisively in the market, with Evening Standard reporting that the club are "closing in on a deal to sign Lens midfielder Mamadou Sangare as a replacement for Jordan Henderson". It is understood the Bees are making real progress, with talks described as advanced and confidence growing internally that an agreement can be reached.
The proposed package is significant. Sangare "would cost around €45million (£38.5m)", a figure that would place him among the biggest investments in Brentford's history and potentially make him the club's record signing. That alone underlines how seriously Brentford are treating this next step, particularly after Henderson's situation shifted quickly. The report adds that Brentford have alternatives in mind if negotiations hit a snag, but for now Sangare appears the leading option.
The 24-year-old brings a strong profile. He has four years left on his contract, has already earned 16 caps for Mali, and made five appearances at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. At club level, he helped Lens lift the Coupe De France, with Pierre Sage, now at Crystal Palace, also linked to the player. Palace's interest is said to be ongoing, which may sharpen the timetable if Brentford want to get this over the line.
Photo: IMAGO
Sangare's journey has been steady and upward. He made "his senior debut at Red Bull Salzburg", took in loan spells in Austria and Belgium, moved to Rapid Wien, then earned his switch to Lens. Last season, he "scored three times in 33 appearances", suggesting his game offers more than simple ball-winning. Brentford will likely value mobility, tactical discipline and room for further growth as much as the headline numbers.

#lens #earned

The biggest number touted by Werner Enterprises in its second quarter earnings release was that it had the highest revenue per truck growth in its One-Way segment in a decade.
Revenue per truck per week was $6,114, up 27.7% from the corresponding quarter a year ago.
Werner did that on the back of a significant downsizing of the number of average trucks in its One-Way Truckload segment. That number was down about 34% from a year ago.
Total miles per truck per week in One-Way was up 15.7% from a year earlier. Those trips also were longer, rising to an average of 685 from 581 a year earlier.
The size of the Dedicated fleet was up as a result of the acquisition of FirstFleet in January. Trucks in service in Dedicated rose 43.7% to 6,976. Average revenue per truck per week rose 5.4% to $4,789.

#year #werner #trucks

AI stocks like Nvidia (NVDA) have taken haymakers for much of the year, with investors firmly in "show-me" mode.
Circular financing, ballooning hyperscaler spending, and questions over risk-reward continue weighing down the market.
Yet one overlooked name tied to that buildout emerged as a standout.
AI power-infrastructure stock Bloom Energy (BE) reported Q2 2026 results on July 28 against a demanding Wall Street setup, according to Yahoo Finance.
What followed wasn't just a beat. It was a result strong enough to revamp expectations around the pace of its AI-driven power growth.

#power #bloom #finance

By Jamie McGeever
ORLANDO, Florida, July 28 (Reuters) - European and U.S. stock markets on Tuesday shrugged off a deep slump in Asia earlier in the day, following another sharp fall in oil prices and growing optimism around peace talks between the U.S. and Iran, while investors also awaited key tech earnings and the ‌Federal Reserve's policy decision.
In my column today, I look at whether high and rising bond yields will slam the brakes on Wall Street. Intuitively, there's a good ‌chance. But if rising borrowing costs are a reflection of stronger nominal growth and a healthy economy, then not necessarily.
If you have more time to read, here are a few articles I recommend to help you make sense of what happened in markets today.
1. Bar to Fed rate hike this week remains high even as markets see a chance

#today #rising #chance #jamie

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Achieved record adjusted EPS growth of 18%, tripling sales growth through disciplined pricing and SG&A productivity despite global macroeconomic uncertainty.
Accelerated the shift toward high-growth markets, specifically targeting critical minerals and data center infrastructure to diversify away from lower-growth residential cycles.
The company delivered growth through price realization, acquisitions, and higher volumes, while continuing to focus on operational consolidations and strategic supply chain initiatives to drive future productivity., with expectations for this velocity to scale over the next several years.
Strengthened the North American water treatment position by adding new dealers that contributed over $2 million in incremental revenue during the quarter.

#next #NVIDIA #strengthened

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Top-line acceleration was propelled by a significant surge in CapEx-related segments, specifically Welding and Test & Measurement and Electronics, which grew 14% and 10% respectively.
Customer-Back Innovation (CBI) contributed 3% to first-half revenue growth, exceeding the 2.4% contribution seen in 2025 and serving as the primary catalyst for sustained 4% enterprise organic growth.
Operating margins reached 26.7% despite a 40-basis-point temporary dilution caused by timing lags between raw material inflation and price adjustments.
Enterprise initiatives remained a core driver of profitability, contributing 120 basis points to operating margin expansion during the quarter.

#basis #capex #test

After trying Meta Platforms' (META) AI glasses lineup, Wall Street ****** ysts have turned bullish on the company's hardware ambitions, a possible change of heart considering how much money Meta has lost on Reality Labs and virtual reality (VR). Improved cameras, comfortability, and enhanced audio were the main drivers of the positive reception. Jefferies ****** ysts believe the glasses could become a real new growth driver for the company after testing the Ray-Ban Meta Gen2, Oakley Meta, and Ray-Ban Display. But what caught my attention was not hidden in the product notes — it was in the price tags of $379, $499, and $799, respectively. This pricing points to a long-term strategy designed to generate repeat purchases over years, not a single sale.
Starting with the entry point, the Ray-Ban Meta Gen2 is only voice-first, camera-equipped, and with no display. Next, the Oakley Meta at $499 pushes into a sportier niche at a slightly higher price. Finally, at $799, the Ray-Ban Display with Neural band is Meta's top-of-the-line model — the only one with an actual screen and gesture control. This product lineup clearly shows something that Meta is trying to build on: Pulling customers up the ladder over successive purchases rather than selling them a single product once.
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#product #next #earnings

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Performance was driven by a rapid transition to value-based pricing and global energy surcharges, which offset rising commodity costs within a single quarter.
The Global High-Tech platform has emerged as the primary growth engine, scaling from $150 million in 2021 to an annualized run rate of $1.5 billion following the CoolIT acquisition.
Life Sciences performance reached a strategic inflection point with 15% growth, driven by market share gains in bioprocessing and the scaling of commercial manufacturing for customers.
The 'One Ecolab' initiative is successfully driving mid-single-digit growth in core businesses like Food & Beverage through integrated water and food safety cross-selling.

#performance #global #driven #NVIDIA

Visa reported fiscal third-quarter results on Tuesday, showing net revenue of $11.6 billion, a 14% increase over the prior year, driven by growth in payments volume, cross-border volume, and processed transactions.
GAAP net income for the quarter ended June 30 was $5.6 billion, or $2.97 per share, up 7% and 10%, respectively, from the prior year. Excluding special items, non-GAAP net income was $6.3 billion, or $3.32 per share, increases of 8% and 11% over the prior year.
Payments volume grew 10% on a constant-dollar basis for the three months ended June 30. Total processed transactions reached 71.7 billion, a 10% increase over the prior year. Cross-border volume excluding transactions within Europe rose 12% on a constant-dollar basis, while total cross-border volume increased 13%.
Data processing revenue rose 17% over the prior year to $6.0 billion, while service revenue grew 14% to $4.9 billion. International transaction revenue grew 6% to $3.9 billion, and other revenue rose 45% to $1.5 billion. Client incentives were $4.7 billion, up 18% over the prior year.
GAAP operating expenses were $4.8 billion for the quarter, a 19% increase over the prior year, driven by higher personnel costs. Current-quarter results included $563 million in severance costs and a $237 million litigation provision tied to the interchange multidistrict litigation case, among other special items.

#prior

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Achieved record quarterly net income of $23 million, attributed to broad-based performance across loan growth, net interest margin expansion, and strong fee income.
HELOC balances grew 23% year-over-year, driven by technology investments that reduced average funding time to 14 days and increased lender depth.
Commercial banking momentum was bolstered by the addition of four experienced commercial bankers since year-end, contributing to a 45% sequential increase in the committed loan pipeline.
Net interest margin expansion of 2 basis points was primarily driven by lower funding costs and the optimization of the deposit mix away from broker and certificate deposits.

#income #driven

Some stock drops look like bad news on the surface. Some are, yes, but some also tell a completely different story underneath.
And I think American Express (AXP) investors have been handed the latter. The payments giant beat earnings expectations, raised its full-year revenue guidance, and reported its strongest card member spending growth in three years. The stock fell anyway.
This kind of reaction can frustrate shareholders and even confuse casual observers. But for "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer, it's a pattern he's seen before, and one he thinks is creating a clear opening.
I think it's a terrific opportunity in one of the best-run companies on earth.
American Express CEO Steve Squeri echoed that confidence in the company's Q2 2026 earnings statement, noting: "Six months into the year, we're seeing stronger momentum than we expected."

#earnings #squeri

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) is entering a new phase of growth as two major catalysts—the expansion of its Samsung partnership and its push into AI infrastructure— begin reshaping the company's long-term outlook.
Its expanded collaboration with Samsung paves the way for Snapdragon platforms to power Samsung's latest Galaxy smartphones, smart watches, and future AI-powered smart glasses. The collaboration reinforces Qualcomm's dominance in premium Android smartphones, validates its leadership in on-device AI, and creates opportunities to expand Snapdragon into new categories such as AI PCs, XR devices, and connected technologies.
Securing Snapdragon chips for more Galaxy flagship models will provide Qualcomm with higher premium chipset shipments, stronger QCT segment revenue, and greater visibility into future earnings.
Kārlis Dambrāns/Flickr
While smartphones remain Qualcomm's largest business, management is increasingly focused on reducing its dependence on the cyclical handset market by expanding into AI infrastructure.

#Smartphones #qualcomm #infrastructure #premium

Coca-Cola (KO) stock jumped 5% on Tuesday after the company beat Wall Street's earnings expectations and raised its guidance as consumers turned to lower-calorie trademark ****** e options, such as ****** e Zero and Diet ****** e.
The stock posted its best day since November 2020.
The soda giant was able to tap into health-conscious consumers and those leaning into America 250 and FIFA World Cup celebrations. Global unit case volume rose 5%, above the previous quarter's 3% gain and the 2.5% growth Wall Street expected, per Bloomberg consensus data. In North America, volume grew 3%.
Yet again, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar was the driving force, with volume up 16% in the quarter. Right behind it were Diet ****** e and Coca-Cola Light, up 7%.
"Diet ****** e was up 7% for the quarter, also, having its moment," CFO John Murphy told Yahoo Finance on Tuesday. "We have ****** e Zero in certain parts of Europe beginning to build scale. You're going to hear a lot more about that in the next 12 to 18 months."

#volume

The physical infrastructure enabling artificial intelligence requires considerably more than just high-performance accelerators and primary grid connections. It also relies on millions of high-density connectors, backplane interconnects, and power-filtering devices to connect rack-level structures, areas where TE Connectivity plc (NYSE:TEL) holds a significant bottleneck position. As hyperscalers and enterprise data center operators ramp up capital expenditure deployment around the world, demand for critical electrical connector systems has transformed from a passive secondary tailwind to a direct beneficiary of the AI growth cycle.
The company's fiscal third-quarter 2026 report showed this demand in real time, with record top-line performance, order velocity, and profitability. Despite exceeding Wall Street expectations in every fundamental indicator, shares fell roughly 7% following the release, indicating the market's focus on sequential forecast trends over historical trailing figures.
Operational execution in the third quarter set new highs across numerous business areas. Net revenue increased 14% year-over-year to $5.16 billion, above Wall Street expectations by more than 3%. Adjusted earnings per share rose 22% year-over-year to $2.94, exceeding the average estimate of $2.85. The report's defining metric was order flow, which increased 27% year-over-year to a record $5.7 billion, reflecting over $1 billion in incremental booking expansion vs. the prior year period. Meanwhile, profitability increased significantly, with adjusted operating margins improving 90 basis points to 22% and quarterly free cash flow totaling $883 million.
The underlying sector distribution highlights where AI momentum is growing the fastest. Industrial Solutions revenue increased 22% year-over-year to $2.58 billion, driven mainly by data center rack deployments and energy infrastructure growth. Chief Executive Officer Terrence Curtin stated that AI cloud momentum is far above initial multi-year predictions, with data center connection and power distribution orders rising more than 70% year-to-date.
Moreover, to back up its power-handling portfolio, TE Connectivity plc (NYSE:TEL) signed a $1.4 billion formal agreement to acquire Astrodyne TDI. The acquisition includes specialized power management and electromagnetic filtering solutions for critical industrial, semiconductor, and defense applications, providing approximately $250 million in annual revenue to the Industrial Solutions segment once completed.

#year #solutions #data

CMA CGM posted impressive Q2 earnings as it navigated volatile supply chain conditions to substantial increases in container volumes and profit.
The closely-held provider of diversified logistics services based in Marseille today said maritime volumes rose 6% to 6.3 million container units from 5.97 million in 2025. Revenue spiked 22% to $9.96 billion from $8.17 billion, while earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were up 42.4%, to $2.26 billion from $1.59 billion. EBITDA margin improved from 19.4% to 22.7%
"Against a backdrop of continued geopolitical instability, the Group delivered solid results in the second quarter of 2026, driven by the performance of our shipping activities, the growth of our terminals and air cargo businesses, and the complementary strengths of our logistics operations," said Rodolphe Saade, chairman and chief executive, whose family controls CMA CGM. "This performance reflects our strategy of expanding in key markets and investing in strategic **** ets. They once again demonstrate the strength of our model, our agility and our resilience, all in support of delivering reliable, high-quality service to our customers."
The company said that the second quarter of 2026 was "a particularly volatile market environment for the shipping and logistics industry, marked by the multiplication of geopolitical conflicts, particularly in the Middle East, and a high level of macroeconomic uncertainty."
Overall revenue grew 19.2% to $15.69 billion from $13.17 billion as EBITDA improved 31% to $2.99 billion from $2.28 billion and EBITDA margin was up 1.7 points to 19% from 17.3%. Net income was better at $770 million from $520 million.

#billion #Logistics #container

RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX) on Thursday lifted its sales and profit outlook for 2026, amid sustained demand for commercial aircraft maintenance and military systems, as airlines continue to rely on older fleets and governments restock weapons.
The aerospace and defense company now projects adjusted sales in the range of $95 billion to $96 billion, up from its earlier estimates of $92.5 billion to $93.5 billion. Wall Street has an average forecast of $94.08 billion. The full-year adjusted EPS is expected in the range of $7.10 to $7.25, up from $6.70 to $6.90, and above ******* ysts' forecast of $6.92 per share.
The forecast lift came during the second quarter earnings call on July 23, where RTX beat Wall Street's estimates for both revenue and profit. Quarterly revenue came in at $24.7 billion, growing 14% year-over-year, while adjusted EPS was logged at $1.89, representing a 21% increase from the prior year's period.
The Pratt & Whitney unit, which manufactures engines for Airbus jets and the F-35, saw a 16% increase in sales to $8.89 billion, while demand for air and missile defense systems drove an 18% sales growth in the company's Raytheon defense business. Collins Aerospace, which delivers advanced aviation systems, saw an 8% increase in sales.
The company said its backlog expanded 22% from the prior year's period to $289 billion, which included $170 billion in commercial aerospace and $119 billion in defense-related orders. Operating cash flow during the quarter came in at $3.5 billion, resulting in free cash flow of $2.9 billion.

#sales #forecast

Amkor Technology (AMKR) reported its second-quarter results on July 27. By almost every measure, the quarter was a record. Revenue reached $1.90 billion, up roughly 26% from a year earlier. The company beat the high end of its own guidance. Earnings of $0.70 a share came in far ahead of the $0.48 that ***** ysts expected. EBITDA of $400 million also comfortably beat the estimates. The growth came from computing and the automotive and industrial markets. Both of these achieved quarterly records on AI data center demand. Margins also widened for a clear reason. Over the past two quarters, average factory utilization climbed from the 50s into the 70s, with several platforms now even running at full capacity.
Despite such a strong performance, the stock fell 6.54% after the report. The reason was the outlook, not the quarter. Amkor guided third-quarter revenue to about $2 billion at the midpoint, just below Wall Street's $2.09 billion consensus. The outlook had another weak spot. Communications revenue is set to fall in the next quarter, with Android sales already down 20% due to memory supply constraints. The stock had more than doubled since late March, hitting a 52-week high of $96.68 on June 22. At that level, expectations were high enough that a soft guidance number was all it took.
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#Stock

Over the years, legal cannabis companies expanded rapidly across the U.S. as more states opened their markets to medical and recreational marijuana.
That growth created sprawling businesses that extend far beyond dispensary storefronts.
Behind many cannabis retailers are cultivation centers where marijuana plants are grown and harvested.
Additionally, there are facilities that process flower into products ranging from pre-rolls and vapes to edibles and other cannabis products.
Now, one major cannabis operator is significantly reducing that infrastructure in one of its biggest markets.

#products

A single exchange-traded fund that pays you $1,000 a month in dividends sounds almost too clean, and one fund keeps landing at the center of that conversation.
The Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (SCHD) holds more than $102 billion in total net ******* ets as of July 2026, according to Schwab ******* et Management's fund page. A 3.3% trailing yield, a 0.06% expense ratio, and 14 straight years of dividend growth explain why it draws so much attention.
But run the numbers on what it actually takes to pull $1,000 a month from that yield, and the reality hits differently.
Generating $1,000 a month means earning $12,000 a year from one investment. Dividing that annual target by SCHD's current 3.3% distribution yield produces a required investment of roughly $364,000, the fund's yield data confirmed.
At a share price near $33.29 as of late July 2026, that's approximately 10,900 shares, a portfolio concentration that few individual investors would find comfortable or feasible.

#july #schd #asset

By Lucia Mutikani
WASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. trade deficit in goods narrowed in June amid a broad decline in imports, but the improvement was probably insufficient to prevent trade from again subtracting from economic growth in the second quarter.
The report from the Commerce Department on Tuesday also showed exports dropping to a five-month low, pulled down by a sharp decline in ‌shipments of industrial supplies, which include petroleum. The decrease likely reflected a pullback in crude oil prices amid a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran.
With businesses ramping up investment in artificial ‌intelligence and consumer spending resilient, last month's drop in imports could be temporary. The AI build-out is reliant on imports. The government on Monday reported a strong increase in orders and shipments for non-defense capital goods in June.
"Our model mapping the trade data onto the national accounts now points to net trade subtracting around one percentage point from second-quarter GDP growth," said Oliver Allen, senior U.S. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.

#goods

Shares of Iqvia (IQV) surged past a buy point Tuesday after the provider of clinical research services beat second-quarter estimates and raised guidance.
Revenue climbed 8.7% to $4.368 billion year over year, while adjusted earnings increased 12% to $3.15 a share. ****** ysts, on average, expected revenue of $4.310 billion. The consensus earnings estimate was $3.03 per share, with the highest estimate at $3.08, according to FactSet.
Second-quarter new bookings rose 19% to $3.15 billion. The backlog for its Research & Development Solutions business (which handles clinical trials) was $34.2 billion. Iqvia expects that about $9.2 billion of it will convert to revenue over the next 12 months.
Citing improved organic revenue growth, the company raised full-year revenue guidance to $17.275 billion-$17.475 billion, an increase of 6.5% at the midpoint. It had earlier forecast a 5.8% increase. The new guidance ****** umes about 200 basis points from acquisitions vs. 150 basis points in the previous guidance. It expects a smaller tailwind from foreign exchange than before.
Durham, N.C.-based Iqvia also forecast adjusted EPS of $12.80 to $13 for 2026. The previous guidance was $12.65 to $12.95.

#second #clinical #quarter #raised

Distressed investors are, by their nature, optimists. They must be, since they see bargains and opportunities where other investors fear to tread. True to form, recent conversations with a number of distressed players reveal a significant distressed opportunity set in the back half of 2026 in the face of a roaring US equity bull market and a vibrant US economy.
Beginning on a positive note, "the US economy is doing well and isn't likely to turn south in the next six to 12 months," says Jeremy Burton, managing director and portfolio manager at PineBridge Investments. Even the rise of oil prices isn't of great concern for Burton, as he believes that the hit to consumers from rising oil prices in one region of the country will be offset by a healthy oil-and-gas-based economy in another region. As a result, the opportunities are more sector-specific, he believes.
Concurring with Burton's relatively sunny view are Morgan Stanley strategists Vishwas Patka and Joyce Jiang, who, in a recent piece covering their mid-year outlook, said "capex growth and a resilient consumer support a stable macro environment with strong earnings, while attractive yields anchor robust [debt] demand." This bodes well for business growth and equity generally, the pair said.
That health is reflected in the numbers. PitchBook LCD reported on July 1 that the trailing 12-month default rate for the Morningstar LSTA US Leveraged Loan index was only 0.97% by dollar amount and 1.34% by issuer count. The default rate by count, including Liability Management Exercises (LMEs), was 2.77%.
But danger in the leveraged loan index lurks. The index's distress ratio by amount (defined as the share of loans trading below 80 cents on the dollar) rose 34 bps in June, to 6.87%. In fact, the distress ratio has trended higher over the past nine months after plumbing a near-term low of 2.59% in September 2025. The peak for 2026 is 7.23% in March, which was the result of six consecutive monthly increases and marked the highest level since the distress ratio hit 7.36% in December 2022, in the midst of a series of US fed funds rate hikes by the FOMC. Roughly 45% of the debt trading under 80 is in software-related sectors.

#distressed #ratio #leveraged

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Turns out people will actually buy more deodorant, not just pay more for the same bottle. Unilever just proved it, and Wall Street liked the smell of that a lot more than the profit margin underneath it.
Unilever reported first-half revenue of €25.6 billion, powered by underlying sales growth of 4.8%, ahead of expectations and driven mostly by volume rather than price. Volumes rose 4.2% in the first half, with price increases filling in the rest.
The second quarter ran even hotter. Underlying sales grew 5.8%, beating ******* yst forecasts, while volumes jumped 5.5%, Unilever's strongest quarterly volume performance since 2010. Management upgraded full-year guidance to 4% to 6% underlying sales growth, up from the low end of that range, alongside roughly 3% volume growth expected for the year.
Beauty and wellbeing, personal care, and home care carried the quarter, with Dove, Vaseline, Rexona, Lynx, Cif, and Axe all benefiting from heavier marketing spend and a major World Cup push. Food was the weak link, volumes slipping slightly, which is exactly the division Unilever is already peeling off into a standalone business through its deal with McCormick.

#underlying #Growth #quarter

LVS Advisory, a New York City-based full-service investment firm, recently released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the first half of 2026, the LVS Event-Driven Portfolio appreciated 4.6% (net), and the LVS Levered Event-Driven Portfolio gained 6.5% (net) while the LVS Growth Portfolio declined 4.2% (net). The first two portfolios outperformed, while the latter lagged. However, the firm believes that all three strategies are poised for improved performance. In addition, please check the Strategy's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, LVS Advisory highlighted Vistance Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:VISN). Vistance Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:VISN) is a global provider of infrastructure solutions for communications, data center, and entertainment networks. On July 27, 2026, Vistance Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:VISN) closed at $11.85 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $2.67 billion. Vistance Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:VISN) posted a one-month return of -7.95%, while its shares gained 38.79% over the past 52 weeks.
LVS Advisory stated the following regarding Vistance Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:VISN) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"Vistance Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:VISN) is a busted roll-up in the telecom infrastructure industry. Formerly known as CommScope, the company sold cables, wires, fiber equipment, and wireless networking systems to data centers, internet service providers, and corporate campuses.
For years, the company employed an aggressive acquisition strategy to roll up the legacy cable and copper wire industry in an effort to become the leading end-to-end provider of wired and wireless communications. Vistance took on an enormous amount of debt to complete the $3 billion acquisition of BNS from TE Connectivity in 2015 and later the $7 billion acquisition of Arris in 2019. At its peak, the company had accumulated a total of $10.5 billion of debt with a net leverage ratio of 7.1x. The debt load became unsustainable, and the stock collapsed from The board ran a sale process in 2025 in a last-ditch effort to save the company from bankruptcy. This resulted in a series of **** et sales that paid down debt and returned capital to shareholders…" (Click here to read the full text)

#NASDAQ #billion #company