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Finance
Markets, money, and the business of the world. Read-only — these stories don't post to Matrix.
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Microsoft Earnings Are Coming—But Azure and CapEx Will Decide the Reaction
Microsoft reports fiscal Q4 2026 earnings July 29, with a beat expected, but investors will focus on FY2027 CapEx guidance and Azure growth as key signals for its AI spending trajectory.
Pakistan’s US-Iranian Mediation Services Were Just a Bid To Get a Multibillion-Dollar Bailout
As many suspected, Pakistan's mediation between the US and Iran wasn’t a selfless diplomatic service for regional peace, after all.
Bond Market Just Flipped to “Rate Hike in July” as 2-Month Treasury Yield Spiked by 13 Basis Points
Warsh scuttled forward guidance, markets are on their own. However this comes out, it promises to be a rougher ride, but in a fresh breeze.
“Islamist Extremism” Has Been Defeated; a New (Old) Foe Is Needed: “Left-Wing Political Terrorism”
"Left-wing political terrorism" is replacing "Islamist extremism" as the main threat narrative in Western countries, answering to a new geopolitical theater
AI May Not Cause Total Jobs Armageddon Afterall: Google Reports on How AI Is Being Used at Work
AI is used in 68% of occupations representing 88% of US employment, from software developers to farmers, industrial engineers, and foresters. It’s not automating away those jobs but is helping workers do their jobs.
The Kansas Community Fighting Data Centers Before They Arrive
Data center watchdog groups in Kansas farming areas seek to ward off applications and fight if it becomes necessary.
Premium Retail’s Stress Test Is Separating Winners From Losers
Deckers, Lululemon, and VF Corp show diverging fortunes in premium retail, with Deckers gaining momentum while Lululemon and VFC face sales pressure, margin strain, and cautious analyst ratings.
D-Wave Quantum or a Quantum ETF: Which Is the Better Bet?
With D-Wave Quantum down over 32% YTD ahead of Q2 earnings, investors weigh quantum ETFs like WQTM and CQTM against individual stocks amid high valuations and slow sales growth.
GE Vernova Just Sent a Mixed AI Signal to Investors
GE Vernova's stock fell nearly 9% after Q2 2026 earnings missed on EPS, but strong orders, backlog, and revenue growth show AI electricity demand remains robust.
Alphabet Crushed Earnings, But One Number Spooked the Market
Alphabet posted record Q2 2026 revenue and accelerating Google Cloud growth, but shares fell as investors focused on surging capital expenditures and negative free cash flow.
Otis Took Another Guidance Cut—But the Story Isn't Over
Otis Worldwide shares fell after Q2 2026 earnings as margins narrowed and guidance was cut, though sales grew, backlog rose 26%, and the dividend was raised 5%.
Links 7/23/2026
Is Buying a Launch Company AST SpaceMobile’s Next Vertical Integration Move?
AST SpaceMobile's $1 billion note offering may fund a launch-provider acquisition, aiming to cut costs and reduce reliance on SpaceX and Blue Origin for its satellite network.
AMD’s $5 Billion Anthropic Deal Could Redraw the AI Chip Battle
AMD secured a $5 billion no-warrant equity stake in Anthropic and launched its Helios rack-scale architecture, locking in 2027 GPU capacity commitments ahead of its Aug. 4 earnings report.
The 2026 Blueprint: 6 Stocks for a Brand New Portfolio
Capital is shifting from software to hard assets like AMD, GE Vernova, ExxonMobil, and Amazon as investors prioritize AI infrastructure, energy security, and pricing power over speculative tech.
Iran War: Trump and Iran Exchange More Threats; Oil at $98 After Ansar Allah Tanker Strikes; House Passes $1.15 Trillion NDAA with Israel “Merger”; Trump Signs Saudi Nuclear Deal
Today's Iran war news: Yet more threat display as the US moves more assets to the Middle East and Ansar Allah chokes oil supplies further.
Philip Morris Trimmed Guidance, But Its Growth Story Looks Unshaken
Philip Morris beat Q2 2026 revenue and EPS estimates on smoke-free growth from IQOS, ZYN and VEEV, though it trimmed full-year EPS guidance and kept revenue growth targets intact.
Forging Profits: The Executive Order Sparking Aluminum
A new Section 232 tariff proclamation favors U.S. aluminum onshoring, boosting Century Aluminum and Alcoa. Both firms are expanding domestic smelting capacity as tariff cuts stabilize margins and reprice their stocks.
Cementing the Sky: Why NVIDIA’s Bet on Nebius Matters
NVIDIA's 9.3% stake in Nebius, disclosed via 13G filing, sent shares up 16% and highlights a broader shift of capital toward neocloud operators over legacy hyperscalers.
Thematic Memory ETFs Give Investors a New Way to Play AI’s Hidden Bottleneck
Memory chip stocks face volatility from stretched valuations and Chinese competition, but supply shortages persist through 2027-2028. DRAM, KMEM, and DISK ETFs offer differing exposure to HBM and NAND makers.
The Global Food Crisis
A hard look at the possible severity of the coming global food crisis and how it demands new approaches to analysis and decisions.
Rocket Lab Has Corrected Nearly 50%. Is It Still Too Expensive?
Rocket Lab shares have fallen over 50% since May after Piper Sandler's Neutral rating cited valuation concerns, even as backlog, contracts, and Neutron progress keep the bull case alive.
Cybersecurity ETFs Are Rallying While AI Stocks Cool Off
Cybersecurity stocks rallied in Q2 2026, boosting ETFs like WCBR, HACK and BUG, which posted YTD gains of 35%, 34% and 29%, respectively, amid differing fees and holdings.
Satyajit Das: Book Essay: “At the Risk of Being Pedantic…?”
The pedantic might relish that their vice can be a bit slippery to pin down.