Markets & Finance

American Express reported Q2 2026 diluted EPS of $4.53, up 11% year over year, beating consensus estimates of roughly $4.40, while revenue grew 10% to $19.64 billion on a 9% rise in Card Member spending. The company narrowed its full-year revenue growth guidance to a firm 10%, up from a prior range of 9% to 10%, though it held its EPS guidance range unchanged at $17.30 to $17.90. CEO Stephen Squeri said first-half outperformance would be reinvested in growth initiatives rather than passed through to the earnings forecast, explaining why stronger revenue did not lift the profit outlook.

The European Commission approved the $55 billion acquisition of Electronic Arts by a PIF, Silver Lake, and Affinity consortium on July 23, finding limited competitive impact under EU merger rules. That clearance is one of several required conditions: the Foreign Subsidies Regulation review had not yet produced a confirmed decision as of the available record, and CFIUS approval remains outstanding. EA continues to trade publicly, and the deal's contractual outside date of September 28, 2026 is a backstop deadline, not a scheduled regulatory decision date.

ChangXin Memory Technologies priced 6.69 billion shares at 8.66 yuan each on Shanghai's STAR Market, making it Asia's largest IPO of 2026 and the biggest Chinese A-share semiconductor listing on record, surpassing SMIC's 2020 offering. The company plans to direct 29.5 billion yuan of proceeds toward DRAM manufacturing expansion and next-generation technology development. CXMT, currently the world's fourth-largest DRAM producer with roughly 7.7% global market share, now has a public valuation benchmark as it works to close the technology gap with Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron.

Intel's second-quarter results came in $1.8 billion above the midpoint of its own revenue guidance, driven by a 59% year-over-year increase in Data Center and AI revenue to $6.3 billion. A $12.5 billion mark-to-market loss on CHIPS Act escrow shares produced an $11 billion GAAP net loss despite $1.8 billion in operating income, a distinction the article explains in detail. Intel's foundry segment remained unprofitable but narrowed its operating loss, and the company raised its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to roughly $20 billion with higher spending projected for 2027.

Verizon posted 184,000 retail postpaid phone net additions in Q2 2026, its strongest second-quarter subscriber result in five years, and raised its full-year adjusted earnings forecast to $4.99–$5.04 per share. The company also disclosed a Google dark-fiber agreement exceeding $1 billion tied to AI data-center infrastructure. A widely circulated claim that $1.8 billion in special items produced a GAAP net loss could not be confirmed against available primary financial documents and should be treated with caution until a full reconciliation is published.