Public Markets 24 Hours

Last updated: August 6, 2026, 2:31 AM ET

Corporate Earnings and Outlooks

Siemens has raised its outlook for its Smart Infrastructure division, driven by robust demand for electrical and grid equipment used in artificial intelligence infrastructure projects across the U.S. and Europe. Germany's Merck KGaA also lifted its full-year outlook, citing strong performance in its life science and electronics segments, alongside resilience in its healthcare operations, and benefiting from easing currency headwinds. Deutsche Telekom announced an increase in its share buyback program by up to $3.5 billion and improved its key metric guidance for the year. Zurich Insurance Group AG reported a 13% profit increase in the first half of 2026, attributing the growth to accelerating demand across its businesses, particularly from global data center and energy infrastructure projects. Motorola Solutions increased its full-year outlook, projecting adjusted earnings per share between $17.62 and $17.72 on revenue of approximately $12.98 billion. Block Inc. raised its full-year guidance, with revenue growth in its commerce and financial solutions businesses helping to offset declines in Bitcoin trading. EBay Inc. reported higher revenue of $3.13 billion and now anticipates gross merchandise volume growth between 11.5% and 12.5% in 2026, following the closure of its Depop acquisition. SharkNinja Inc. boosted its full-year outlook after experiencing a sales increase in the second quarter, driven by strong demand for its products, particularly cooking appliances, beauty items, and international sales. Thomson Reuters Corp. raised its revenue targets for the year after achieving double-digit growth in its three main business segments during the latest quarter. News Corp reported revenue growth across all its segments, with digital-only subscriptions for The Wall Street Journal averaging nearly 4.5 million in the quarter. Kraft Heinz Co. reported a narrower loss and lower sales in the second quarter but raised its sales outlook as it plans to mitigate higher supply costs by increasing prices. Dine Brands Global Inc. reported higher sales and lower profit in the second quarter, with growth at IHOP offsetting a decline at Applebee’s.

Market Movements and Trading Activity

Nickel prices fell to their lowest level since mid-July amid speculation that Indonesia may increase the ore-production quota for a major mine, potentially increasing supply. The South Korean won strengthened to its highest level in nearly ten months, as exporters converted dollar earnings into the local currency. Copper prices reached new record highs for the third consecutive trading session, with gold and silver prices also closing higher. U.S. commercial crude oil stockpiles increased by 2.5 million barrels in the week ended July 31, contrary to expectations of a 1.2 million barrel decrease. U.S. diesel exports surged to a record high last week, contributing to a decline in domestic stockpiles as the global demand for diesel intensifies. U.S. natural gas futures saw a slight increase in rangebound trading ahead of the EIA's weekly storage report. Japanese government bonds rose in early Tokyo trade, mirroring overnight price gains in U.S. Treasurys. The WSJ Dollar Index declined by 0.16% to 96.01, marking its sixth decrease in the past seven trading days. Gold prices advanced in early Asian trade after gaining overnight due to a weaker dollar and lower Treasury yields.

Technology and Data Center Demand

Celestica Inc. is seeking to raise $3 billion through the sale of new shares, joining a wave of companies securing funds for data center development to support the artificial intelligence buildout. San Disk reported a higher net income of $6.9 billion, as the ongoing artificial intelligence expansion continues to drive demand for data storage solutions. Shopify has projected an acceleration in third-quarter sales growth, with artificial intelligence-driven search and broad merchant expansion expected to fuel market share gains. Duolingo Inc. shares fell as much as 12% after the company issued a conservative revenue outlook for the current quarter, which overshadowed its user growth figures. AppLovin Corp. stated that its second-quarter results fell short of its internal standards, despite continued profit and revenue growth.

Financial Sector News

Commerzbank AG unveiled a fresh share buyback program as CEO Bettina Orlopp aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of her strategy in delivering strong returns. Commerzbank CEO Bettina Orlopp has called for constructive dialogue with UniCredit after the Italian bank secured a near majority stake in its German competitor. Fitch Ratings indicated it is upgrading 30 tranches of collateralized loan obligations, in addition to hundreds of other tranches already under consideration for upgrades using a new methodology. DBS Group Holdings Ltd. reported second-quarter profit that exceeded expectations, driven by a surge in wealth management fee income, and subsequently raised its 2026 guidance. MetLife Inc. second-quarter earnings surpassed Wall Street expectations, bolstered by strong underwriting, volume growth, and the successful execution of a five-year plan initiated in late 2024. Arini, Silver Point are among the lenders poised to take control of Pfleiderer, a wood-paneling company that has faced difficulties despite raising new debt just eight months prior. BC Partners' credit arm is reportedly leading a group of investors interested in providing financing to LIV Golf.

Global Economic and Political Developments

Japan's sale of 30-year bonds on Thursday attracted solid demand, providing some stability to a market affected by currency fluctuations and concerns about the government's debt levels. China's main steel-industry group advocates for increased use of yuan-denominated index pricing in the iron ore market, arguing that such a shift would better reflect supply and demand dynamics in the world's largest consumer of the commodity. The U.S. has suspended government activities in the Mexican state of Michoacan, impacting avocado imports from the region, which is the largest producer for the U.S. market. Kazakhstan plans to re-enter the yuan debt market this year, seeking to access more affordable financing from China as Central Asia's largest oil producer. Brazil’s Cia. Siderúrgica Nacional is seeking at least 15 billion reais ($2.9 for its cement business and anticipates receiving four bids for the sale of the entire unit. A protest movement in Kashmir challenging Pakistan's authority has led to restrictions on independent reporting by both local and foreign media outlets. The U.S. is planning to halt the export of key metal waste materials as part of an effort to reduce reliance on China.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Investments

The acquisition of Airtable by Bending Spoons is seen as a significant setback for software unicorns and their investors, as Airtable is being purchased for a fraction of its previous private valuation. CVC and Veritas have submitted separate bids for Bodycote, valuing the FTSE 250 industrials group at approximately £1.8 billion, including debt. Partners Group is nearing a €2 billion deal to acquire the beauty products group Aroma-Zone, with French asset manager Eurazeo in discussions to sell its stake.

Energy and Commodities

BP's exit from the North Sea is being viewed as a critical development for the Scottish energy sector, occurring at a time when renewable energy projects are facing challenges. U.S. crude oil inventories posted a weekly increase of 2.5 million barrels for the week ended July 31, contrasting with an expected decrease of 1.2 million barrels. U.S. diesel exports reached a record high last week as domestic stockpiles continued to fall, indicating a global competition for diesel that is increasingly depleting U.S. supplies.

Legal and Regulatory Developments

A Senate panel has obtained a copy of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s cellphone as the committee prepares to vote on whether to hold him in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions at a hearing. A Senate panel has scheduled a vote on holding Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he declined to answer questions during a recent hearing. Federal agents are reportedly using flight manifests to arrest travelers with expired visas at airports, prompting objections from airlines concerning safety and protocol.

Other Notable News

The U.S. is planning to halt the export of key metal waste materials as part of an effort to reduce reliance on China. In African tech hubs, developers are opting for China's cost-effective and readily available artificial intelligence models over more advanced U.S. options. The Trump administration's new AI safety review guidelines appear to exempt Chinese AI models, while those from OpenAI and Anthropic are subject to review. A drone carrying explosives was discovered at Leipzig airport in Germany, marking a potential escalation after two years of drone incursions at European airports. The death of a Salvadoran immigrant at a federal detention center in Newark has brought renewed scrutiny to the conditions at Delaney Hall.