Daily Brief: July 31, 2026
Markets at a Glance — U.S. markets open in 1 minute (9:30 AM ET)
📊 U.S. INDICES (Pre-Market)
| Index | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 7,475.28 | +37.65 (+0.51%) |
| Dow 30 | 52,477.96 | +269.90 (+0.52%) |
| Nasdaq | 25,122.18 | +679.24 (+2.78%) 🔥 |
| Russell 2000 | 2,946.10 | +39.79 (+1.37%) |
| VIX | 17.09 | 0.00 (0.00%) |
Nasdaq leads with strong tech sector momentum. Intel (+11.37%) and Microsoft (+15.63%) driving gains.
🌍 GLOBAL MARKETS
Asia (Overnight)
- KOSPI (South Korea): 6,595.45 +17.91% 🚀 (exceptional rally)
- Nikkei 225: 64,362.02 +4.03%
- Shanghai Composite: 3,832.26 +0.72%
- Hang Seng: 25,884.43 +0.10%
Europe (Mid-Session)
- DAX (Germany): 25,639.50 +0.11%
- FTSE 100 (UK): 10,907.06 +0.09%
- CAC 40 (France): 8,535.64 +0.59%
- Euro Stoxx 50: 6,371.94 +0.43%
🛢️ COMMODITIES
| Commodity | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| WTI Crude | $85.54 | +2.33% |
| Brent Crude | $90.35 | +1.48% |
| Gold | $4,093.10 | -1.62% |
| Silver | $57.47 | -2.61% |
| Copper | $6.48 | +0.15% |
| Natural Gas | $2.74 | -0.58% |
Oil rallying on geopolitical tensions. Precious metals pulling back.
💱 CURRENCIES & BONDS
Currencies
- EUR/USD: 1.1504 -0.22%
- USD/JPY: 159.50 -0.07%
- USD/GBP: 0.7446 +0.25%
- USD Index: 100.33 +0.47%
U.S. Treasury Bonds
- 10-Year Yield: 4.7040% +0.88%
- 5-Year Yield: 4.4290% +1.23%
- 30-Year Yield: 5.23% +0.44%
💰 CRYPTO
| Asset | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | $63,730.30 | -1.89% |
| Ethereum | $1,886.71 | -2.12% |
| Solana | $73.71 | -1.18% |
| BNB | $593.58 | +1.08% |
Crypto pulling back from recent highs. Risk-off sentiment in digital assets.
🌐 GEOPOLITICAL INTEL (ThinkCreate)
Data Snapshot (13:30 UTC)
- Commercial flights: 4,008 | Military: 260 | Private: 148
- Tracked aircraft: 1,324
- Vessels: 27,852
- Satellites: 539
- GPS jamming events: 23
- Earthquakes (24h): 35
- Global incidents (GDELT): 845
Priority Intelligence
[LVL 5/10] — Fernández de Kirchner asks UN to suspend Argentina ballot ban
Fri, Jul 31 09:39 GMT — Mercopress
[LVL 5/10] — British journalist suggests channeling Enzo Fernández’s taxes to Falklands defense
Thu, Jul 30 23:08 GMT — Mercopress
[LVL 4/10] — Green forest fires in Greece (35.17°N, 24.46°E) and Angola (-8.77°S, 20.13°E)
Fri, Jul 31 11:00 GMT — GDACS
[LVL 3/10] — Trump announces Hamas disarmament deal, but many hurdles remain
Fri, Jul 31 01:20 GMT — NPR, 5 sources
Coords: 31.046°N, 34.851°E (Gaza region)
[LVL 3/10] — At least 18 die after Morocco-Spain border breach at Ceuta
Fri, Jul 31 02:02 GMT — NPR
Mass migration event, tens of thousands crossed.
[LVL 3/10] — German authorities knew of Pride attacker’s extremism
Fri, Jul 31 09:03 GMT — NYT
Coords: 52.52°N, 13.405°E (Berlin)
[LVL 3/10] — Milei decree allows expulsion of foreigners over hate messages against Argentina
Thu, Jul 30 18:59 GMT — Mercopress
Defense Sector (ThinkCreate Global Markets)
| Ticker | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|
| RTX | $214.38 | -0.4% |
| LMT | $574.11 | +0.86% |
| NOC | $534.85 | -0.04% |
| GD | $382.20 | +0.33% |
| BA | $220.90 | +3.22% |
| PLTR | $122.26 | -0.6% |
Boeing surging on production news. Defense sector mixed.
📈 EARNINGS — FRIDAY, JULY 31
Big Beats ✅
| Symbol | Company | EPS Est | Reported | Surprise | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LYB | LyondellBasell | $3.42 | $4.30 | +25.6% 🔥 | $19.5B |
| NVT | nVent Electric | $1.16 | $1.45 | +24.59% | $23.4B |
| BCH | Banco de Chile | $0.68 | $0.84 | +24.03% | $21.3B |
| MGA | Magna International | $1.53 | $1.86 | +21.62% | $19.0B |
| BBUC | Brookfield Business | $0.46 | $1.00 | +117.83% 🚀 | $6.5B |
| CVX | Chevron | $5.60 | $6.06 | +8.14% | $383B |
| SMFG | Sumitomo Mitsui | $0.44 | $0.50 | +13.35% | $163.8B |
| ETN | Eaton Corp | $3.08 | $3.15 | +2.39% | $150.2B |
Misses ❌
| Symbol | Company | EPS Est | Reported | Surprise | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALE | Vale S.A. | $0.49 | $0.36 | -26.21% | $63.8B |
| PRM | Perimeter Solutions | $0.42 | $0.35 | -17.29% | $6.1B |
| AU | AngloGold Ashanti | $2.11 | $1.98 | -6.06% | $41.6B |
Other Notables
- CL (Colgate-Palmolive): $0.99 vs $0.95 (+4.53%)
- LIN (Linde): $4.15 vs $4.12 (+0.66%)
- ENB (Enbridge): $0.63 vs $0.60 (+5.63%)
📅 UPCOMING — MONDAY, AUGUST 4
BEN (Franklin Resources) — Q3 Earnings, BMO (Before Market Open)
EPS Est: $0.66
Weekend ahead — no Saturday/Sunday earnings scheduled. Markets closed.
🎯 BOTTOM LINE
Tech-led rally continues — Nasdaq +2.78% on semiconductor strength (Intel, MSFT, NVDA all up). Oil pushing higher on Mideast uncertainty (Hamas deal fragile, Morocco-Spain crisis). LyondellBasell crushed estimates (+25.6% beat), materials sector strength. VIX holding low at 17 — complacency or confidence? Watch for reversal signals.
Key catalysts ahead: Franklin Resources Monday AM, then pause for weekend. Geopolitical watch: Hamas deal implementation, Spain-Morocco migrant crisis, Argentina political instability.
Generated: 2026-07-31 13:30 UTC
Source: Yahoo Finance, ThinkCreate Intel Backend, GDELT, Mercopress, NPR, NYT