Markets News, Aug. 4, 2026: S&P 500, Dow Close at Records as Palantir, Caterpillar Shares Jump; Oil Drops on US-Iran Deal Optimism

Markets News, Aug. 4, 2026: S&P 500, Dow Close at Records as Palantir, Caterpillar Shares Jump; Oil Drops on US-Iran Deal Optimism Aaron Rennie Tue, August 4, 2026 at 12:51 PM GMT+2 17 min read PLTR CAT ^DJI MCD ^GSPC The Dow has added 1,600 points over the past two sessions. Credit: Timothy A.

Clary / AFP / Getty Images Major stock indexes soared Tuesday, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average setting new records, as Palantir Technologies and Caterpillar shares jumped and oil prices sank further. The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite, benchmark S&P 500, and blue-chip Dow surged a respective 2. 6%, 1.

8%, and 1. 7%. The Dow added more than 900 points to notch its second closing high this week .

After markets closed yesterday, Palantir (PLTR) reported better-than-expected results and lifted its outlook, and shares of the software maker soared nearly 30% Tuesday to lead the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. In other post-earnings moves, shares of Caterpillar (CAT) surged about 5. 5% to lead the Dow; McDonald's (MCD) and Pfizer (PFE) rose between 1% and 1.

5%; and Spotify Technology (SPOT) slipped about 1. 5%. Shares of SpaceX (SPCX) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) surged more than 9% and 7%, respectively, ahead of their earnings reports after the bell.

SpaceX was set to issue results as a public company for the first time. (Read our SpaceX earnings live blog here . ) The Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) and broader iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) jumped a respective 7.

3% and 6. 8% as AI-tied stocks ARM Holdings (ARM), Marvell Technology (MRVL) and Sandisk (SNDK) soared between 11% and 17%. Most of the Magnificent Seven mega-cap tech firms finished higher, although Amazon (AMZN) declined more than 2% on news founder Jeff Bezos was selling 15 million shares worth more than $4 billion.

Nvidia (NVDA) led gains at 2. 5%. Oil prices, which sank yesterday following comments from President Donald Trump that he was holding off on attacking Iran, pulled back further after U.

S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on CNBC Tuesday morning that the nations "may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait [of Hormuz] and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict. " U.

S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate futures declined 5. 8% to $75.

70 a barrel at 4 p. m. ET, while global benchmark Brent crude futures were down 5.

3% to $79. 35. The 10-year Treasury yield , which influences interest rates on a variety of consumer loans including mortgages, was near 4.

63%, down five basis points from yesterday's close. On Friday, it hit its highest level since January 2025. The U.

S. dollar index , which tracks the value of the greenback against a basket of foreign currencies, was little changed at 99. 87.

The dollar rose 0. 4% against the yen after declining yesterday following the U. S.

and Japan's coordinated intervention to support the latter after it hit a 40-year low against the greenback. Story Continues Bitcoin was trading around $64,300, up slightly over the past 24 hours. Gold futures rose 1.

2% to $4,140 an ounce. AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 09:33 PM GMT SpaceX Shares Fall Despite Strong Earnings SpaceX (SPCX) results beat Wall Street expectations on the top and bottom lines. That didn't keep its stock from tumbling in after-hours trading.

The company reported an adjusted earnings-per-share loss of 9 cents compared to consensus expectations of a loss of 15 cents. Revenue jumped 92% from the year-earlier period to $7. 8 billion, above analysts' expectation of $6.

82 billion, according to Visible Alpha. SpaceX CFO Bret Johnsen said in a statement that "the second quarter demonstrated the true power of SpaceX," saying that revenue growth "accelerated" across all three of its business segments—space, connectivity, and AI. The company also finished its IPO quarter with a big pile of money.

The company "ended the second quarter with $100 billion of cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities," Johnsen said. Capital expenditures were higher across the board at SpaceX, but substantially higher for the AI business than for the space or connectivity segments. AI capex was $15.

8 billion in the second quarter, more than double what it was in the first quarter, and well above the $1. 2 billion and $1. 4 billion, respectively for space and connectivity.

The AI business also accounted for the bulk of SpaceX's loss in the latest quarter. The AI unit reported an operating loss of $1. 26 billion, while the space segment reported a loss of $542 million.

Connectivity turned in an operating profit of $1. 66 billion. SpaceX shares were down 8% in recent after-hours trading.

The stock had gained 9% during regular trading hours, their best one-day performance since June 16, just a few days after the IPO. AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 06:26 PM GMT Chipotle Stock Drops on News Company Temporarily Pulled Jalapeños Tied to Salmonella Outbreak From Minnesota Restaurants Chipotle Mexican Grill's "robust" food safety program is being tested again. Shares of Chipotle (CMG) are sinking 9% Tuesday afternoon on the news, first reported by Bloomberg News , that the restaurant chain had temporarily pulled jalapeños tied to a Salmonella outbreak in Minnesota.

The state's health department identified 110 cases, and of the 84 reached for an interview, 75 reported eating at Chipotle, with meal dates between June 14 and July 14. "The cases that reported not eating at Chipotle ate at a variety of other Mexican-style restaurants," Carlota Medus, Senior Epidemiologist Supervisor in the Minnesota Department of Health Foodborne Diseases Unit, said in a statement. Medus added that "based on all the evidence so far, the food that made people sick was served at other restaurants as well.

" Chipotle—which was not linked to the recent Cyclospora outbreak tied to shredded iceberg lettuce served at various Taco Bell restaurants in several Midwest states—was implicated in a series of foodborne-illness outbreaks between 2015 and 2018 and agreed to pay a $25 million fine to resolve criminal charges. "We have a robust ingredient traceability system and, upon learning of a potential Salmonella outbreak in the supply chain impacting several food service retailers, we proactively identified jalapeños as a potential common ingredient from a common lot, removed them from the restaurants where they had been distributed, and replaced them with product from different growers," Chipotle Chief Corporate Affairs and Food Safety Officer Laurie Schalow said in a statement. Chipotle Mexican Grill shares are dropping Tuesday afternoon.

Credit: Marcin Golba / NurPhoto via Getty Images "It is too soon for us to know if the outbreak is ongoing," Medus said. "Given the measures Chipotle put in place, we are not concerned about Chipotle; but it is possible that the outbreak is ongoing if the contaminated food item is being served elsewhere. We do expect the case count to increase even if the illnesses occurred a couple of weeks ago, since it takes us a while to detect cases in surveillance.

" With today's move, Chipotle shares have moved into negative territory for 2026. AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 06:01 PM GMT AMD's Stock Is Surging Ahead of Quarterly Results Investors are piling into shares of Advanced Micro Devices ahead of the AI chipmaker's latest quarterly results, due after the closing bell. Shares of AMD (AMD) were up over 8% in recent trading, among the biggest gainers in the Nasdaq on a day when stocks climbed broadly amid growing optimism about a peace deal between the U.

S. and Iran.   Morgan Stanley analysts said in a note earlier this week that they're looking forward to "another strong set" of earnings from the Nvidia (NVDA) rival on strong demand for its data center products.

AMD is seen reporting adjusted earnings per share of $1. 61 on a nearly 50% jump in revenue to $11. 34 billion, according to estimates compiled by Visible Alpha.

Wall Street analysts are largely bullish on AMD , which has already seen its stock more than double in value this year, despite a recent pullback. Of the nine analysts followed by Visible Alpha, seven have called the stock a "buy," with two neutral ratings. Their average price target around $582 would suggest 20% upside from Monday's close.

- Kara Greenberg AMD shares have more than doubled in value since the start of the year. Credit: SeongJoon Cho / Bloomberg via Getty Images AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 05:52 PM GMT SpaceX Earnings Today: Live Coverage of Quarterly Results From Elon Musk's Newest Public Company Elon Musk will take the microphone in just a few hours. Musk, chief of Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX), or SpaceX for short, will later today talk up the company's quarterly results for the first time since it went public in mid-June.

Given its vast ambitions, the precise numbers SpaceX reports may not be the big story of the day; still, some figures are sure to be on investors' minds, with the price of a share of SpaceX stock having fallen to levels that two months ago might have seemed unlikely. (Yesterday on social media, after one user posted SpaceX's post-IPO stock chart and said it would be an "insane opportunity in retrospect," Musk replied "I think so. ") Shares of SpaceX finished Monday at $114.

53. That's off their post-IPO lows, but below the $135 at which they were sold to the public, the $150 at which they opened trading, and their peak above $225. Now the question is: What will it take to get them steadily rising again?

SpaceX is set to report quarterly results for the first time as a public company later today. Credit: Mike Campbell / NurPhoto via Getty Images Today's results may not do the trick, with the stock now linked more to the AI trade in some investors' eyes than to Musk's big vision for what the company can accomplish. That means investors may instead look both to a financial outlook and guidance from Musk about what they should expect in the coming weeks and months.

Read more about what's facing SpaceX stock now in our preview article here . For now, at least, investors seem enthused. The stock was recently up more than 8%, and at Tuesday highs touched its highest levels in more than a week.

Read the rest of the SpaceX live blog here . – David Marino-Nachison AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 05:09 PM GMT Oil Prices and Energy Stocks Sink on Expectations a Deal to Open the Strait of Hormuz Could Come This Week Oil and gas stocks are sliding on signs the Strait of Hormuz could reopen soon. NRG Energy (NRG) and Diamondback Energy (FANG) were among the biggest decliners in the S&P 500 recently, with shares down about 16% and 3%, respectively, while broader markets gained amid growing optimism about a peace deal between the U.

S. and Iran. Shares of Chevron (CVX), ExxonMobil (XOM) were down 1%, while BP (BP) shares fell 4% despite posting a solid earnings this morning.

West Texas Intermediate crude futures dropped more than 5% to just over $76 a barrel. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC in a televised interview this morning that an Iran deal could be reached today or tomorrow that would open the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has yet to confirm that any talks are ongoing with the U.

S. this week. Energy stocks have been on a hot streak lately, as tensions in the Middle East and supply disruptions sent oil prices soaring.

Bank of America analysts wrote Monday that energy stocks rose 12. 5% in July, making it the best-performing sector on Wall Street. President Donald Trump on Monday criticized the industry and said companies have raised prices too much amid the disruptions caused by the Iran war.

- Aaron McDade Several major oil producers were among the S&P 500's biggest decliners Tuesday. Credit: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 04:52 PM GMT Here's How Much Disney Stock Is Expected to Move After Earnings The Walt Disney Company's latest earnings report is due ahead of the opening bell Wednesday, with traders expecting a big move from the entertainment giant's stock.

Recent options pricing indicates that traders are expecting Disney (DIS) stock to swing up to 5% by the end of the week. A move of that size from Tuesday afternoon's level around $98 could see Disney shares rise back above $103, or slip below $94. Disney shares are down nearly 14% since the start of the year, amid worries that higher fuel prices and inflation driven by the Iran war could slow theme park attendance.

Disney shares are down about 14% since the start of the year. Credit: Mike Kemp / Contributor / Getty Images Ahead of the report, UBS analysts lifted their price target to $138 from $133, writing they expect profit growth to accelerate in the second half of Disney's fiscal year, thanks to revenue gains from Disney's Experiences segment. Read the full article here .

- Aaron McDade AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 04:27 PM GMT Information Technology Paces S&P 500 Sectors Just four of the 11 S&P 500 sectors are in the green. But one of them is Information Technology, and that's doing plenty to help the benchmark index move higher today. The S&P 500 Information Technology Sector is up 3.

7% in early afternoon trading, powering the overall index to a 1. 5% gain. Palantir Technologies (PLTR) and Zebra Technologies (ZBRA) are soaring 28% and 22% to lead the sector, but 10 other stocks are up 9% or more.

Materials, Industrials, and Financials are the other sectors in positive territory Tuesday. Palantir Technologies is leading the S&P 500 Information Technology Sector higher Tuesday. Credit: Mike Campbell / NurPhoto via Getty Image AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 02:56 PM GMT Amazon Leads Dow Decliners on News Bezos to Sell More Than $4B Worth of Stock Amazon stock hit a record high Monday.

It's pulling back today because founder Jeff Bezos evidently determined it was a good time to part with some shares. Amazon (AMZN) shares are down 2. 5% to lead Dow Jones Industrial Average decliners after a regulatory filing revealed that Bezos, the tech giant's founder, intended to sell 15 million shares worth more than $4.

07 billion. The Form 144 filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission also indicated that on May 4, Bezos donated 220,200 shares to non-profit organizations. Amazon joined the $3 trillion market cap club for the first time yesterday, when its shares reached as high as $287.

20 and closed at $284. 02. Shares had soared since Amazon reported better-than-expected profit and revenue, with Amazon Web Services sales rising 37% year-over-year to $42.

2 billion, nearly $2 billion above estimates. Even with today's pullback, Amazon shares are up 20% since the start of the year. A regulatory filing revealed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (R) intended to sell 15 million shares of the tech giant worth more than $4 billion.

Credit: David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 02:05 PM GMT Palantir's Stock Is Having Its Best Day in Over a Year After Blowout Earnings Palantir stock could be set to record its best day since last February, when the stock soared 24% following a blockbuster fourth-quarter earnings report . Shares of Palantir (PLTR) were up 22% in recent trading, leading gainers in the S&P 500 on a strong day for tech stocks , a day after the software maker reported better-than-expected earnings and raised its outlook.   William Blair analysts wrote that Palantir's "stellar performance defies concerns" about competition from OpenAI and Anthropic for business customers, and that there's "no public software company or defense contractor with this combination of revenue growth and profitability.

" Morgan Stanley called Palantir's revenue growth in every quarter for the last three years a "remarkable achievement," and said sales look poised to accelerate for a 13th straight quarter with "extraordinary" demand. With Tuesday's rally, Palantir shares are still down about 15% since the start of the year. Credit: INA FASSBENDER / AFP via Getty Images Jefferies analysts are more cautious, writing after the report that they would still prefer other AI and software stocks like Microsoft (MSFT), Amazon (AMZN), and Snowflake (SNOW).

They highlighted concerns with Palantir's international growth, and said its valuation "leaves little room for a normalization in growth or execution slippage. " The stock has been in need of a boost, coming into yesterday's report down some 30% this year amid worries about AI disrupting the software industry and last year's rally leaving the company overvalued . With Tuesday's gains, shares are still down about 15% year-to-date.

- Aaron McDade AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 01:44 PM GMT Why These Analysts Are Backing Off Walmart Stock Shares of Walmart started the year strong. Now they've cooled, and a Wall Street analyst is offering up some reasons for further caution. Oppenheimer analysts on Tuesday downgraded Walmart (WMT) stock to a neutral "perform" rating, withdrawing a $140 per share price target that represented a 26% premium to yesterday's close around $111 and was roughly in line with the Visible Alpha mean.

The analysts cited three reasons they now see a "less compelling outperformance case" for the stock: revenue headwinds facing the U. S. pharmacy business that could hurt same-store sales, a "peakish" valuation, and Wall Street forecasts that it characterized as "well ahead" of the company's guidance.

"Although we are stepping to the sidelines, we still remain very upbeat on [Walmart's] longer-term prospects," the analysts wrote. Walmart's shares, which were pointing lower in premarket trading today, are a bit below flat in 2026. The company is set to report its next set of quarterly financial results on Aug.

20. – David Marino-Nachison Wall Street analysts are broadly bullish on Walmart's shares. Credit: Getty Images AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 01:03 PM GMT Caterpillar Sees 'Broadening Momentum' as Customers Build AI Data Centers Caterpillar (CAT)'s blockbuster second quarter is sending its stock—and the Dow Jones Industrial Average—sharply higher this morning.

Shares of Caterpillar are soaring 10% in early trading Tuesday after the company known for its construction equipment reported profit and revenue far above analysts' estimates. The Irving, Texas-based firm posted adjusted earnings of $8. 17 per share on revenue that increased 24% year-over-year to a record $20.

54 billion. Analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha had expected $6. 10 per share and $18.

95 billion, respectively. Caterpillar's construction and power generation equipment are in high demand as big tech companies build new data centers , and chief executive Joe Creed said the firm's "strong order rates and a growing backlog reflect broadening momentum across all three of our primary segments. " The Dow jumped 1.

5% at the opening bell. Since it is a price-weighted index , the blue-chip index gives more influence to higher-priced stocks, and Caterpillar shares entered Tuesday at just over $830 apiece. With today's early surge to about $916, Caterpillar shares are up nearly 60% this year.

Caterpillar shares soared 10% at the bell Tuesday. Credit: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 12:16 PM GMT Here's How Much Traders See Eli Lilly Stock Moving After Earnings Eli Lilly is scheduled to report earnings Wednesday morning, with traders expecting the drugmaker's stock could potentially approach last month's highs following the results.

Based on current options pricing, Eli Lilly (LLY) shares are seen swinging up to 6% by the end of the week. A move of that size from Monday's close could see the shares climb as high as $1,191, just shy of last month's all-time high, or drag them below $1,052, putting them in negative territory for the year. Shares of Eli Lilly are up about 4% since the start of the year, recently pulling back from a July 7 record close of $1,235.

Sales of its popular weight-loss drugs have helped power strong results in recent quarters, though some uncertainties remain about competition in the weight-loss space. Eli Lilly shares are up about 4% since the start of the year. Credit: Michael Siluk / UCG / Universal Images Group / Getty Images UBS analysts recently wrote that there "might be some natural pullback in the market in the near term" for Eli Lilly following its recent rally, but that they expect gains in the long term, along with an earnings beat and raised forecast Wednesday.

Read the full article here . - Aaron McDade AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 11:22 AM GMT SpaceX's First Earnings Report Lands Tuesday. Wall Street Will Be Watching—But Will It Matter?

In less than two months as a publicly traded company, SpaceX has—fittingly, for a rocket company—both seen dizzying highs and fallen back to Earth. What lies ahead? The company formally known as Space Exploration Technologies (SPCX) will on Tuesday evening offer up its first quarterly financial report since its IPO, submitting CEO Elon Musk to a test of Wall Street's conviction in his ability to deliver on his bold vision of orbital data centers, interplanetary commerce, and "extend[ing] the light of consciousness to the stars.

" With the company valued at more than $1 trillion, there's a lot of money at stake. The stock charged out of the gate after staging the largest IPO in history , but it's mostly been downhill since: The shares closed Monday near $115, roughly half off their all-time high. Tuesday's quarterly financial results from SpaceX may not change the stock's recent trajectory.

Where has that left investors? While Wall Street analysts broadly expect the stock to climb back to and above its highs so far—the mean price target suggests a belief the shares should more than double—the targets tracked by Visible Alpha range from $170 to $800; Some targets not listed by that service are more bearish. Read the full article here .

- Colin Laidley AUGUST 4, 2026 AT 10:51 AM GMT Stock Futures Point Higher After Dow Closes at Record Futures contracts tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average pointed up 0. 5%. Credit: TradingView S&P 500 futures were up 0.

2%. Credit: TradingView Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 0. 7%.