Track the evolution of major financial and economic events
Circle has received final regulatory approval from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to establish a national trust bank. The approval, finalized on July 11, grants the company the charter to operate within the U.S. banking system. Under this specific charter, the bank is prohibited from taking ordinary deposits or issuing loans.
Delta Air Lines exceeded its June quarter earnings guidance, driven by robust demand and strong operational execution. Following these results, the company announced a 15 percent increase in dividend payments starting in the September quarter. Additionally, Delta reaffirmed its full-year outlook with an adjusted EPS guidance of $6.50 to $7.50.
OpenAI and Google confirmed providing advanced AI services to Singapore-based subsidiaries of Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent. Meanwhile, a new US sanctions bill includes provisions easing potential tariffs on China and India. Additionally, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reported a substantial decrease in China's purchases of Iranian oil.
Bitcoin reclaimed the $63,000 threshold on Thursday, gaining 1.5% following Donald Trump's remarks regarding Iran seeking diplomatic engagement. Traders are currently monitoring a critical resistance zone between $64,500 and $65,225. Despite the upward movement, technical indicators such as MACD and Stochastic suggest bullish momentum exhaustion, with an overbought reading of 87.
Australian uranium stocks surged following the finalization of administrative arrangements to commence exports to India under a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement. India is targeting a significant expansion of its nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047, up from its current 8 GW. Alongside the Australian deal, India clarified its commitment to international trade agreements and secured a C$2.6 billion supply contract with Canada’s Cameco for uranium deliveries starting in 2027.
Aehr Test Systems has secured new production orders exceeding $8 million for its silicon carbide wafer-level burn-in solutions. The orders include a follow-on purchase for the fully automated FOX-XP system to support manufacturing capacity for new electric vehicle platforms. These new orders specifically target the rapidly expanding electric vehicle market in China.
Despite a Q2 decline in EV sales and losing U.S. market share to Toyota, General Motors stock maintains a positive analyst outlook with a $96 target price. To address the consumer shift toward hybrid technology, the company plans to reintroduce plug-in hybrids by 2027. Additionally, GM is diversifying its strategy by expanding into the energy storage sector to support the rising demand from AI data centers.
US stock futures stabilized in July following President Trump's remarks regarding Iran, which eased geopolitical tensions. Market performance remained steady as concerns over interest rate hikes and regional conflicts diminished. Investors concluded the period by balancing ongoing geopolitical factors against upcoming earnings reports from major technology firms.
Ethereum is currently testing a critical technical resistance level at $1,800 after rebounding from its June lows. The price is challenging a long-standing descending trendline, showing stronger momentum compared to other major cryptocurrencies. As of July 12, ETH is trading at $1,797 with indicators signaling overbought conditions. Bulls require a high-volume close above $1,853 within 48 hours to prevent a potential slide back to the $1,751 support level.
Gold prices recovered to trade above $4,100 on July 10 as traders assessed US-Iran geopolitical risks. By July 15, the market consolidated above $4,000 an ounce despite failing to break through resistance at $4,100. However, gold fell below the $4,000 level on July 17, marking its first daily close below this threshold since November 2025.
EquipmentShare has raised its fiscal year 2026 financial guidance and authorized a new $500 million share buyback program. Meanwhile, Rank Group shares rose significantly as the company expects annual profits to surpass previous analyst estimates. Conversely, Leslie’s shares fell after Pentair lowered its forward guidance, citing worsening inventory destocking pressures and weaker demand within the pool industry.
Micron announced a $250 billion investment plan in the U.S. over the next decade to boost AI chip production while securing critical raw materials for its operations. The company has established long-term supply agreements projected to cover nearly 50% of total revenues, including take-or-pay contracts ensuring at least $100 billion in future income. Following these developments, TD Cowen reiterated a Buy rating on the stock, as analysts expect supply constraints and robust demand to drive DDR prices higher through 2027.
TSMC is scheduled to report its second-quarter earnings early Thursday morning, July 16, 2026. Traders are anticipating a significant swing in the stock price following the release, which comes amid robust demand for AI chips. The upcoming report is viewed as a key indicator for the sustainability of global AI demand.
Bausch + Lomb has discontinued the development of its BL1107 glaucoma eye drop after a Phase 2 trial failed to meet the primary endpoint of improving visual function. Following the study's results, the company decided to end the program and redirect its focus toward a sustained-release implant for geographic atrophy. Clinical trials for this new redirected program are expected to commence in 2028.
Seeking Alpha published an analytical report on July 10 previewing Philip Morris International's earnings ahead of the official release. Options data from July 15 suggests a potential 4.9% share price movement around the July 22 earnings report. The company is expected to see Q2 sales and earnings growth driven by smoke-free product momentum and strong pricing power.
Jefferies maintained a 'Buy' rating and a $110 price target for Netflix, despite anticipating limited near-term upside catalysts ahead of the company's Q2 earnings report. Markets are currently awaiting the release of major bank earnings and Netflix's results in the coming week. Meanwhile, Netflix's stock valuation has dropped to its lowest level in over four years as traders anticipate the upcoming financial results.
MicroStrategy announced it will present its Q2 2026 financial results on July 30. The company has paused its Bitcoin acquisition spree to accumulate a significant $3 billion cash reserve. It now holds enough liquidity to cover preferred-stock dividends and debt interest for over 20 months.
Emily Roland of Manulife stated that tech stock fundamentals are currently the strongest she has seen in her career. Analyst expectations point to a robust 23.3% earnings growth for the S&P 500 in the second quarter. Additionally, Piper Sandler analysts believe that corporate America is well-positioned to clear the high bar set for Q2 earnings results.
Jabil is expanding its healthcare footprint by leveraging engineering expertise in diagnostic systems and robotic-assisted surgery. The company was identified as a top stock for accelerating EPS growth trends heading into the second half of 2026, driven by strong revenue in cloud infrastructure and networking. While recent earnings growth and cash generation remain solid, the stock performance currently reflects a balance between these gains and a cautious fiscal 2026 outlook.
Bitcoin miners are pivoting toward AI infrastructure, with analysts noting that AI contracts have replaced bitcoin as the primary driver of market valuations. Despite a 16% decline in the sector's index due to liquidity concerns and SEC filings, companies like Cipher and TeraWulf are seen as undervalued relative to their data center pipelines. While Core Scientific achieved an outlier return of 75% on AI deals, stabilized returns on assets for other major miners are estimated between 4% and 5%.
BNP Paribas maintained an Outperform rating on Amazon with a $345 price target on July 10. Positive Q2 earnings expectations are building for the company based on its current strong business narrative. While Amazon's stock has risen approximately 8% year-to-date as of July 17, it continues to lag behind many of its large-cap peers.
Eric Trump's crypto stake lost approximately $600 million in value as Bitcoin hit record lows. Shares of his backed Bitcoin mining company collapsed 95% from their peak, leading the firm to execute a 1-for-15 reverse stock split. Additionally, the period saw a significant on-chain duel between two traders holding $107 million in opposing leveraged Ether positions.
The Nasdaq rose 0.46% driven by a surge in technology and semiconductor shares after US initial jobless claims fell to 215,000, coming in lower than expected. While the consumer staples sector and the Dow Jones saw declines, investor sentiment improved, shifting the CNN Fear and Greed Index into the Neutral zone. US stocks continued their gains in the final hour of trading following a soft inflation reading.
Robinhood Markets has launched the public mainnet of Robinhood Chain, a Layer 2 network and dedicated crypto wallet designed for real-world asset tokenization. The company also announced that its AI agent feature, which has seen over 70,000 accounts created since May, will soon expand from equities and options to support crypto traders. Additionally, the Arbitrum network is expected to benefit from Robinhood's strategic expansion into the blockchain sector.
