Mega-Cap Earnings Week Meets Trade Turbulence

US: Apple, Amazon, Microsoft in Focus

The busiest earnings week of 2026 is underway. MSFT reports tonight at 5:30 PM ET, with Azure cloud growth the key metric. AAPL and AMZN follow Thursday — any Apple guidance on China iPhone demand will move markets. QCOM and LRCX also report after the bell today.

Chip stocks remain a flashpoint. NVDA sits at the centre of AI-driven options volatility. SK Hynix's earnings miss rattled the memory supply chain. MU options saw the heaviest bearish flow among large caps. Bears are also piling into specific names — WOLF (Wolfspeed) carries 118% short interest as a share of free float with zero shares left to borrow, raising real short-squeeze risk.

On the macro front, China's Commerce Ministry demanded the US reverse its robot export ban and threatened retaliation. The move adds a fresh layer of trade uncertainty heading into tech earnings.

Europe: Adidas Misses, BBVA Beats

adidas reported Q2 earnings per share of $1.22, missing the $1.41 estimate. Sales of $7.84B beat forecasts. The company raised its full-year sales outlook to $31.44B. The profit miss is the headline.

Spanish bank BBVA beat on both lines. Q2 EPS came in at $0.62 versus the $0.61 estimate. Revenue of $12.21B topped the $11.94B consensus.

BP launched a major expansion of its Atlantis facility in the Gulf of America. The project adds 10,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day at peak production.

Key Trade to Watch

Citizens Financial CEO Bruce Van Saun filed a $9.3M share sale at CFG. BBVY's strong Q2 stands in contrast to European banks still navigating rate headwinds. With Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft all reporting by Thursday, this week's earnings prints will define the market's AI narrative for the rest of the summer.