Earnings Season, Oil Spike, and Korea Shorts: Markets in Motion

Earnings Season Kicks Off

Today marks the start of the busiest earnings stretch of the summer. Charles Schwab and homebuilder D.R. Horton open proceedings in the US. European heavyweights Novartis and Vodafone also report today. The big moments come Wednesday. Alphabet reports after the bell. Markets will watch AI revenue closely. Texas Instruments and IBM follow. Thursday brings Intel — a critical test for the chip giant's turnaround story.

Oil Tops $90

Crude oil touched $90 after Iran struck tankers in the Middle East. US petrol prices climbed back above $4 a gallon. Tehran later said it had received ceasefire proposals from mediators. Prices partially retreated. Energy names are back in focus, though short sellers are light on the sector.

Cybersecurity Gets a Boost

Morgan Stanley sharply raised targets on two cybersecurity giants. CrowdStrike received a new target of $227, up 32% from $172. Palo Alto Networks was lifted to $387. Both carry low short interest below 3% of free float. The upgrades signal renewed Wall Street confidence in the sector.

Korea Shorts Explode

Short sellers piled into KORU, the 3x leveraged South Korea ETF. SI leapt to 1,089% of float — up 1,109% in one week. South Korean stocks fell over 5% last week after the AI tech sell-off. Bears are pressing hard on the leveraged exposure.

Europe: Sweden and UK in Focus

Swedish markets drew fresh institutional buying. Lundbergföretagen added $35M into Sandvik and $57M into Svenska Handelsbanken. UK gilts came under pressure as investors braced for higher spending under the new Prime Minister. Analysts cited Andy Burnham's comments on fiscal flexibility as a trigger.