Earnings Crunch, Iran Risk, China Bids: Markets on Edge

Earnings Season Heats Up

This is one of the biggest weeks of the reporting season. GOOGL Alphabet posts Q2 results Tuesday after the close. Investors want to see cloud growth and proof that AI spending is paying off. INTC Intel reports Wednesday — a key milestone for its turnaround story. AXP American Express, TMUS T-Mobile, and SCHW Charles Schwab are also on deck this week. Options traders are positioning hard ahead of these prints. Call buying is dominant in several names, with CHTR Charter Communications drawing heavy bullish flow despite analysts cutting targets.

Iran and Oil Shake Global Markets

Oil rose sharply after Iran struck tankers in the Middle East. Crude briefly touched $90 before pulling back as Tehran said it received mediation proposals. US petrol prices climbed back above $4 a gallon. European markets slid initially but defence stocks rallied hard on the news. The geopolitical flare-up is adding a risk premium that wasn't there last week.

China Steps In to Prop Stocks

China's "national team" of state-owned funds bought roughly $9 billion in equities after last week's AI-linked tech sell-off. The move signals Beijing is not willing to let markets correct freely. Chinese equities stabilised following the intervention.

Short Sellers Press Hard

Bears are paying dearly to stay short on several names. LCID Lucid Group's short interest hit 38.1% of free float. Cost to borrow is 229.7% APR. SOUN SoundHound AI sits at 41.6% SI % FF with near-zero availability — squeeze conditions are building. Nestlé NESN reports H1 results Wednesday, adding a European data point to a packed week.