$Nucor(NUE)$r’s second-quarter results showed how trade policy, infrastructure investment and domestic supply constraints are producing unusually strong conditions for US steelmakers. The shares rose 7.1% on July 28 after the company reported record mill shipments and forecast further earnings growth. Nucor reported its results on July 27 for the quarter ended June 30. Net income reached $1.16 billion, or $5.04 per share. Excluding a $61 million non-cash gain related to the increased value of Nucor’s investment in fusion-energy company Helion, adjusted earnings were $4.84 per share. That compares with $3.23 in the first quarter and $2.60 one year earlier. Nucor’s official second-quarter release provides the comparison. Steel-mill shipments establis

South Korea's stock market has suffered one of its sharpest selloffs in years, with the KOSPI plunging nearly 10% intraday to 5,430.67, breaking below the key 5,500 level. The index has now fallen around 40% from its June record high, wiping out months of gains in just weeks. The biggest casualties were the country's semiconductor giants. SK Hynix tumbled more than 15%, while Samsung Electronics lost over 10%, triggering widespread liquidation across the broader market. Many investors are now questioning whether government policies helped fuel the rally before making the downturn even more severe. Earlier this year, South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance and financial regulators introduced measures intended to support the equity market, including expanding access to leveraged ETFs a

but not irrational. $ASML Holding NV(ASML)$ fell sharply on July 27 following reports that China had begun producing domestic immersion deep-ultraviolet lithography machines. The development does not immediately displace ASML’s technology, but it challenges the assumption that its existing competitive position will remain permanently unassailable. China’s state-backed Shanghai Aishengna Electronic Technology Group reportedly started manufacturing domestic immersion DUV machines. Initial deliveries to $SMIC(00981)$, $Hua Hong Grace Semiconductor Limited(688347)$ and $Cxmt Corporation(688825)$ are expected during 2026

$Coca-Cola(KO)$’s second-quarter report arrives shortly after a cyberattack temporarily interrupted production at fairlife, one of the company’s most important higher-growth brands. The incident is not expected to materially affect current financial results, but it tests the resilience of Coca-Cola’s expansion into dairy and protein beverages. Coca-Cola disclosed unauthorized third-party access affecting fairlife’s production-related systems on July 16. On July 27, the company announced that most production had resumed across fairlife’s four US facilities. Coca-Cola said product quality and retail availability were largely unaffected and did not expect a material financial impact. The company’s July 27 operational update provides that assessment. Th

$United Parcel Service Inc(UPS)$ reports second-quarter results before the US market opens on July 28. The central issue is whether deliberately reducing low-margin Amazon deliveries can improve profitability despite lowering package volume. UPS announced in January that it intended to eliminate as many as 30,000 positions and close 24 facilities during 2026 as it reduced Amazon volume by approximately one million packages per day. These changes followed extensive workforce and facility reductions during 2025. Reuters’ report on UPS’s restructuring explains the strategy. The logic is straightforward: not every package creates equal value. Dense commercial deliveries, healthcare logistics and time-sensitive shipments can generate better margins than

$S&P Global(SPGI)$ S&P Global reports its first quarter since completing the separation of Mobility Global on July 1. The results should provide a cleaner view of a business concentrated around credit ratings, market data, commodity information and financial indexes. Before the separation, S&P Global generated first-quarter revenue of $4.17 billion, up 10% year over year. GAAP earnings increased 32% to $4.69 per share, while adjusted earnings rose 14% to $4.97. S&P Global’s earnings release filed with the SEC provides the figures. Ratings revenue benefited from debt issuance. When companies refinance debt, fund acquisitions or extend maturities, they often pay S&P to assess creditworthiness. This creates attractive margins but

$PayPal(PYPL)$ enters second-quarter earnings with an unusual combination: a globally recognized payments network, improving transaction economics and a valuation normally associated with a slow-growth company. The unanswered question is whether management can revive its branded checkout business without sacrificing margins. In the first quarter, reported on April 28, revenue increased 7% to $8.4 billion, or 5% excluding currency movements. Transaction-margin dollars rose 3% to $3.8 billion, but non-GAAP operating income declined 5% to $1.5 billion. PayPal’s first-quarter earnings release filed with the SEC provides the results. Transaction-margin dollars are more informative than payment volume alone. PayPal processes considerable lower-margin vo

$Baker Hughes(BKR)$ rallied 5.8% on July 27 even as crude prices and most oil stocks fell. The divergence reflects its transition from a conventional oilfield-services provider into a broader supplier of liquefied-natural-gas equipment, industrial turbines and power infrastructure. The company announced its results on July 26 for the quarter ended June 30 and discussed them with investors on July 27. Revenue declined 2% year over year to $6.74 billion, but adjusted earnings increased to $0.64 per share. Free cash flow reached $1.11 billion. Baker Hughes’ official second-quarter release provides the results. Orders increased 49% to $10.5 billion. Industrial and Energy Technology orders doubled to a record $7.1 billion, while total remaining performa

Thirty-five U.S. stocks with market caps above $10 billion are trading at fresh all-time highs as of July 24, 2026. The top 10 span mega-cap consumer technology, global and regional banking, biopharmaceutical dealmaking, aerospace & defense manufacturing, and freight rail—a cross-section pointing to bank earnings strength, defense backlog re-rating, and mega-cap pricing power as the market's current momentum drivers. The top 10 tickers leading this cohort - $Apple(AAPL)$, $JPMorgan Chase(JPM)$, $AbbVie(ABBV)$, $Bank of America(BAC)$,

Takeaway Meta’s core ad business is still strong. AI is already helping user engagement, ad delivery and conversion. The main debate is whether this can justify a 2026 capex budget of US$125–145 billion. The bull case is clear: better recommendations, stronger ad tools and higher GPU use can support growth. The bear case is also valid: external AI services may face falling prices, high competition and weak returns. For Q2, the key numbers are ad impressions, ad pricing, operating margin, capex and free cash flow. $Meta Platforms, Inc.(META)$ will report Q2 2026 results after market close on 29 July. Market estimates point to revenue of about US$60.2 billion, close to the top end of management’s US$58–61 billion guidance. Revenue gr