Last week ended with U.S. stocks near record highs, and the reason why says a lot about what to expect next. Microsoft and Amazon both blew past earnings expectations, with Microsoft’s Azure cloud business topping $100 billion in annual revenue and Amazon’s AWS growing at its fastest pace in 18 quarters. But Apple had its worst single day in 16 months despite beating estimates, and Meta fell roughly 9% on a disappointing outlook. Same AI story, four different outcomes.
This week puts that split to its next test. Palantir reports Monday, AMD reports Tuesday, and a genuinely packed calendar — Disney, Uber, CVS Health, Eli Lilly, ConocoPhillips, Airbnb, and The Trade Desk — follows through Thursday.
Layered on top is a Federal Reserve that just got a lot less predictable: three regional Fed presidents voted for a rate hike at the last meeting, and Friday’s jobs report is the week’s biggest single data point with no Fed meeting to lean on.
Quick Answer: What to Watch This Week
Tuesday, August 4 is arguably the week’s most important single event for market sentiment: AMD reports after the close, offering the clearest read yet on whether AI-chip demand is broadening beyond Nvidia and the big cloud companies. Monday’s Palantir report and Wednesday’s four-company session (Disney, Uber, CVS Health, and Eli Lilly) round out a genuinely busy earnings calendar.
But the week’s single most important data point is Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report — with no Federal Reserve meeting this week and Fed officials sending unusually mixed signals about a possible September rate hike, Friday’s jobs numbers will do more to move markets than almost anything else on the calendar.
Why This Week Matters
Most weeks bring a handful of things worth watching. This week keeps last week’s biggest storyline alive: is the AI trade still working for everyone, or just the companies that can prove it’s paying off? Microsoft and Amazon answered that question with a clear yes. Apple and Meta didn’t — at least not yet.
What is AI capital expenditure (capex), and why does it matter here? Capex is the money a company spends building things — like data centers and chips — before it earns revenue from them. Investors have spent much of 2026 debating whether that spending is paying off. Amazon just raised its 2026 capex guidance to roughly $220 billion, up from $200 billion, even as AWS growth accelerated — a sign, for now, that the spending and the payoff are both increasing together.
AMD’s Tuesday report is this week’s cleanest test of that same question outside the biggest cloud companies. The company has guided its Data Center segment to grow server-CPU revenue more than 70% year-over-year, and management has flagged growing customer interest in its upcoming MI450 chip family.
If that materializes, it’s a sign AI-chip demand is broadening. If it disappoints, or if gross margins slip on rising memory-chip costs — the same issue Apple flagged in its own guidance — it could reignite doubts about the sustainability of AI spending broadly.
Why did Apple's stock fall even though it beat earnings estimates? Apple posted record quarterly results but still had its worst trading day in 16 months, because its forward guidance disappointed. The company guided to 9–11% revenue growth for the next quarter, below the roughly 12% Wall Street was expecting, citing supply-chain component shortages and sharp increases in memory-chip (DRAM and NAND) prices. It's a reminder that a stock can fall on a beat if what the company says about the future is weaker than expected.
Layered on top of the earnings calendar is a Federal Reserve that just became noticeably harder to predict. The Fed held its benchmark rate at 3.50%–3.75% at its July 29 meeting, but three regional Fed presidents — Cleveland’s Beth Hammack, Minneapolis’s Neel Kashkari, and Dallas’s Lorie Logan — dissented in favor of raising rates instead.
New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh has also stopped including forward guidance in the Fed’s post-meeting statements, meaning investors can no longer count on the central bank to telegraph its next move the way it used to.
What is a Federal Reserve dissent, and why does it matter? A dissent happens when a Fed policymaker votes against the majority decision. Three dissents in favor of a rate hike, all at once, is unusually high — it signals real internal disagreement about how seriously to take the recent rise in oil-driven inflation. Combined with the Fed's decision to stop offering forward guidance, this week's jobs report becomes the market's best clue about what the Fed might do next, rather than something investors can simply wait to be told.
The second major storyline is geopolitical, and it hasn’t gone away. An escalating conflict involving Iran has kept crude oil prices elevated — Brent crude remains roughly 9% above where it traded before the conflict began, after the U.S. reinstated a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and a 20% fee on cargo shipped through it in mid-July.
OPEC+ added a modest amount of extra supply for August, but ConocoPhillips’ Thursday earnings report — guided to more than double year-over-year — will show just how much of that oil-price strength is still flowing into producer profits.
Watching Oil Prices This Week?
Crude remains roughly 9% above pre-conflict levels as the Iran conflict keeps energy markets volatile — with ConocoPhillips reporting Thursday. Trade oil, gold, and other commodities with tools built for active traders.
Explore Pepperstone →This Week’s U.S. Economic Calendar
| Date | Time (ET) | Event | Importance | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Aug 3 | 10:00 AM | ISM Manufacturing PMI (July) | Medium-High | Prior reading was 53.3%; a stronger print supports the soft-landing narrative ahead of Friday’s jobs data. |
| Tue, Aug 4 | 10:00 AM | JOLTS Job Openings (June) | Medium | A labor-market check ahead of Friday’s more consequential payrolls report. |
| Wed, Aug 5 | 10:00 AM | ISM Services PMI (July) | Medium-High | Services make up the bulk of U.S. economic activity; a soft print would add to slowdown concerns. |
| Thu, Aug 6 | 8:30 AM | Initial Jobless Claims (weekly) | Medium | Standard weekly labor-market gauge heading into Friday. |
| Fri, Aug 7 | 8:30 AM | Nonfarm Payrolls + Unemployment Rate (July) | Very High | The week’s single most important data point. Roughly +130,000 jobs are expected versus June’s much weaker +57,000, with unemployment seen holding near 4.2%. A hot report could accelerate September rate-hike bets; a weak one could revive rate-cut hopes. |
Also relevant: the ongoing conflict tied to Iran and the reinstated blockade near the Strait of Hormuz remain a live wildcard for oil prices throughout the week, and OPEC+’s decision to add roughly 548,000 barrels per day of supply for August is a modest offsetting factor worth watching alongside ConocoPhillips’ Thursday earnings.
This Week’s Earnings Calendar
| Company (Ticker) | Date | What to Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Palantir (PLTR) | Mon, Aug 3 (after close) | EPS estimate ~$0.35 (+119% YoY), revenue ~$1.81B (+80% YoY); has beaten estimates in 3 of the last 4 quarters. |
| AMD (AMD) | Tue, Aug 4 (after close) | Revenue guided to ~$11.2B (+46–47% YoY); server-CPU revenue guided to grow 70%+; MI450/Helios AI-rack commentary is the key swing factor. |
| Disney (DIS) | Wed, Aug 5 (before open) | EPS estimate ~$1.88 (+16.8%), revenue ~$25.4B (its strongest growth in three-plus years); has beaten estimates 4 straight quarters. |
| Uber (UBER) | Wed, Aug 5 (before open) | EPS estimate ~$0.83, above the high end of Uber’s own $0.78–$0.82 guidance; gross bookings estimated near $57.19B. |
| CVS Health (CVS) | Wed, Aug 5 (before open) | EPS estimate ~$1.87 (+3.3%), revenue ~$100.18B (+1.3%); insurance-segment medical cost trends are the key watch item. |
| Eli Lilly (LLY) | Wed, Aug 5 | EPS estimates range from ~$6.55 to $7.74 depending on source, revenue ~$20.5–$20.7B; Mounjaro and Zepbound volume growth is the central driver. |
| DoorDash (DASH) | Wed, Aug 5 (after close) | Order-volume and take-rate trends, paired with Uber’s morning report for a fuller gig-economy read. |
| ConocoPhillips (COP) | Thu, Aug 6 (before open) | EPS estimate ~$2.96–$2.99 (+108.5% YoY), revenue ~$18.79B; the clearest pure-play read on oil-driven producer earnings this week. |
| Airbnb (ABNB) | Thu, Aug 6 (after close) | EPS estimate ~$1.20–$1.26 (+16.5% YoY); nights-and-experiences booked growth is the key metric. |
| The Trade Desk (TTD) | Thu, Aug 6 (after close) | Revenue guided to at least $750M, below the ~$771–772M analyst range; stock is down roughly 40% year-to-date after a prior guidance miss. |
Figures above are analyst consensus estimates or company guidance as of the report date and are subject to revision before each company reports.
It’s worth noticing how the week is structured: Monday and Tuesday belong to AI and software (Palantir, AMD), Wednesday is the busiest single session spanning media, mobility, healthcare, and pharma (Disney, Uber, CVS Health, Eli Lilly, DoorDash), and Thursday closes with energy, travel, ad-tech, and cloud software (ConocoPhillips, Airbnb, The Trade Desk, Datadog, Warner Bros. Discovery) — before Friday’s jobs report caps the week.
The Top 10 US Stocks to Watch This Week
We ranked these 10 stocks by how likely they are to see a significant price move this week — based on scheduled earnings, recent AI-sector dispersion, and how directly each name connects to the week’s two biggest storylines: the AI trade’s winners-and-losers split, and elevated oil prices tied to the Iran conflict.
| # | Company (Ticker) | Trend | Confidence | Volatility | Primary Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AMD (AMD) | Bullish | 60% | Extreme | Q2 earnings Tue after close |
| 2 | Palantir (PLTR) | Bullish | 58% | Extreme | Q2 earnings Mon after close |
| 3 | Nvidia (NVDA) | Bullish | 56% | High | No earnings; trades on AMD read-through |
| 4 | Eli Lilly (LLY) | Bullish | 64% | High | Q2 earnings Wed |
| 5 | Disney (DIS) | Bullish | 60% | High | FQ3 earnings Wed before open |
| 6 | ConocoPhillips (COP) | Bullish | 62% | Medium-High | Q2 earnings Thu before open |
| 7 | Uber (UBER) | Bullish | 55% | Medium-High | Q2 earnings Wed before open |
| 8 | Airbnb (ABNB) | Neutral/Bullish | 52% | Medium-High | Q2 earnings Thu after close |
| 9 | The Trade Desk (TTD) | Bearish | 42% | Extreme | Q2 earnings Thu after close |
| 10 | CVS Health (CVS) | Neutral/Bullish | 50% | Medium | Q2 earnings Wed before open |
Track This Week’s Top 10 US Stocks in Real Time
AMD and Palantir report early in the week, Disney, Uber, CVS Health, and Eli Lilly follow Wednesday, and Friday’s jobs report could reshape the whole market — follow every move with free charts, watchlists, and price alerts.
Open Free Charts on TradingView →1. AMD (AMD)
AMD reports Q2 2026 earnings Tuesday after the close, and it’s arguably the week’s single most important report for AI-sector sentiment. The company has guided revenue to roughly $11.2 billion, up 46–47% year-over-year, with server-CPU revenue expected to grow more than 70%. It comes directly on the heels of Microsoft and Amazon’s capex-raising cloud beats, which bode well for continued AI-compute demand.
- Bull case: Data-center revenue and gross margin (guided near 56%) both beat, and commentary on the upcoming MI450 accelerator family and Helios AI rack platform shows AMD closing the competitive gap with Nvidia, extending its outperformance this year.
- Bear case: Gross margin compresses on rising memory-chip costs — the same pressure Apple flagged last week — or data-center growth decelerates, reviving doubts about demand for AI chips beyond the biggest players.
- Key risk: Customer concentration among a handful of large buyers, competitive intensity from Nvidia and custom silicon, and China export-policy risk.
2. Palantir (PLTR)
Palantir reports Q2 2026 earnings Monday after the close, opening the week’s earnings calendar. Consensus models EPS of roughly $0.35 (up 119% year-over-year) on revenue of $1.81 billion (up 80%). The company has beaten Wall Street’s estimate in three of its last four quarters, with an average surprise of 11.6%.
- Bull case: Commercial and government contract momentum keeps accelerating, and management raises full-year guidance, reinforcing Palantir’s status as a favorite among both retail and institutional AI investors.
- Bear case: Growth decelerates from recent triple-digit-adjacent rates, or the stock’s already-elevated valuation becomes a bigger factor than the underlying fundamentals.
- Key risk: Elevated valuation multiple, government-contract timing and budget-cycle risk, and intensifying competition in AI and data-analytics software.
3. Nvidia (NVDA)
Nvidia doesn’t report earnings this week, but as the single biggest proxy for the AI-infrastructure trade, it’s still one of the stocks most likely to move on this week’s news. The semiconductor sector has been recovering sharply from a roughly 20% correction as hyperscaler capex commitments — including Amazon’s newly raised $220 billion 2026 capex plan — reinforce continued AI demand.
- Bull case: AMD’s Tuesday report reinforces broadening AI-compute demand, extending the semiconductor sector’s recovery and lifting sentiment across chip stocks.
- Bear case: AMD disappoints or flags margin pressure from memory costs, reviving concerns that AI-infrastructure economics are deteriorating even as spending continues.
- Key risk: Customer concentration in a small number of hyperscalers, competitive inroads from AMD and custom silicon, and China export-policy risk.
4. Eli Lilly (LLY)
Eli Lilly reports Q2 2026 earnings Wednesday. Analyst estimates vary by source, ranging from roughly $6.55 to $7.74 per share, on revenue near $20.5–$20.7 billion. The company already raised its full-year 2026 guidance after Q1, now projecting $82–$85 billion in revenue, driven by continued Mounjaro and Zepbound volume growth.
- Bull case: GLP-1 volume growth keeps outpacing pricing pressure, and management raises guidance again — extending Lilly’s run as the market’s most reliable large-cap growth story outside of AI and tech.
- Bear case: Competitive pressure from other GLP-1 manufacturers or a slower-than-expected international rollout weighs on volume growth.
- Key risk: GLP-1 competitive intensity, drug-pricing policy risk, and manufacturing or supply-chain capacity constraints.
5. Disney (DIS)
Disney reports fiscal Q3 2026 earnings Wednesday before market open. Analysts see revenue rising more than 7% to $25.4 billion — Disney’s strongest quarterly growth in more than three years — with adjusted EPS guided near $1.88 (up 16.8% year-over-year). The company has beaten Wall Street’s expectations in each of the past four quarters.
- Bull case: Disney+ subscriber growth and box-office performance both beat, and streaming profitability keeps improving, extending Disney’s turnaround narrative.
- Bear case: Streaming subscriber growth decelerates or linear-TV declines accelerate faster than streaming can offset, given the high bar set by four consecutive beats.
- Key risk: Streaming competitive intensity, secular linear-TV decline, and park-attendance sensitivity to consumer spending.
6. ConocoPhillips (COP)
ConocoPhillips reports Q2 2026 earnings Thursday before market open. EPS is guided near $2.96–$2.99, up roughly 108.5% from a year ago, on revenue near $18.79 billion — extending the prior week’s energy-earnings story after ExxonMobil and Chevron both posted outsized beats driven by Iran-conflict-elevated crude prices.
- Bull case: Upstream production volumes and realized prices both confirm the scale of the guided earnings jump, reinforcing energy as the market’s most reliable near-term sector.
- Bear case: OPEC+’s latest production increase begins to weigh on realized prices faster than expected, or a sudden de-escalation in the Iran conflict causes crude to reverse sharply.
- Key risk: Two-way oil-price volatility, OPEC+ supply-policy risk, and geopolitical exposure tied to Middle East shipping routes.
7. Uber (UBER)
Uber reports Q2 2026 earnings Wednesday before market open. Street consensus of $0.83 EPS sits above the high end of Uber’s own $0.78–$0.82 guidance range, with gross bookings estimated near $57.19 billion versus a $56.25–$57.75 billion guide.
- Bull case: Gross bookings and adjusted EBITDA both clear the high end of guidance, and management points to continued mobility and delivery demand as a real-time consumer-spending signal.
- Bear case: Consensus sitting above management’s own guidance range raises the bar for a clean beat; any softness in trip growth would be read as a broader consumer-spending warning.
- Key risk: Consumer-discretionary spending sensitivity, competitive intensity in delivery, and regulatory or labor-classification risk.
8. Airbnb (ABNB)
Airbnb reports Q2 2026 earnings Thursday after market close. EPS is guided near $1.20–$1.26 (up 16.5% year-over-year); the company raised its 2026 guidance after Q1 revenue grew 18% on continued nights-and-experiences-booked growth.
- Bull case: Booking growth stays resilient into peak summer travel season, and management reiterates or raises full-year guidance, reinforcing the durability of travel demand.
- Bear case: Booking growth decelerates on consumer-spending fatigue or increased competition from traditional hotel platforms.
- Key risk: Travel-demand sensitivity to consumer spending, regulatory pressure in key markets, and competitive intensity from Booking.com and Vrbo.
9. The Trade Desk (TTD)
The Trade Desk reports Q2 2026 earnings Thursday after market close, in one of the week’s highest-stakes setups. Shares are down roughly 40% year-to-date after a Q1 guidance miss and gross-margin pressure; the company guided Q2 revenue to at least $750 million, below the roughly $771–772 million analyst range, citing macro pressure and competitive heat from Amazon and Google.
- Bull case: Revenue clears the analyst range despite the conservative guide, and management shows early signs of stabilizing competitive share against Amazon’s growing ad business.
- Bear case: A second consecutive quarter of guidance-range misses or further gross-margin deterioration validates the stock’s sharp year-to-date decline.
- Key risk: Intensifying competition from Amazon and Google in programmatic advertising, cyclical ad-spend sensitivity, and margin pressure.
10. CVS Health (CVS)
CVS Health reports Q2 2026 earnings Wednesday before market open. EPS is guided near $1.87 (up 3.3% year-over-year) on revenue near $100.18 billion; shares surged roughly 7% after Q1 2026 results as the company’s turnaround narrative gained traction.
- Bull case: Insurance-segment medical cost trends stay manageable and pharmacy/front-store performance remains resilient, extending the post-Q1 rally.
- Bear case: Medical cost ratios in the insurance segment come in above expectations — a recurring risk factor across the managed-care sector this year.
- Key risk: Medical cost trend volatility in the insurance segment, reimbursement and regulatory policy risk, and integration execution across segments.
Sector Outlook at a Glance
| Sector | Outlook | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Technology / AI | Bullish | Reinforced by Microsoft and Amazon’s cloud beats; AMD and Palantir are next to be tested. |
| Semiconductors | Bullish-to-neutral, recovering | The sector is recovering from a ~20% correction as hyperscaler capex guidance reinforces demand. |
| Healthcare | Bullish | Eli Lilly and CVS Health both report, offering growth (GLP-1) and turnaround (managed care) storylines. |
| Energy | Bullish | ConocoPhillips’ Thursday report extends the prior week’s oil-driven earnings theme, though OPEC+ supply is a modest offset. |
| Consumer Discretionary | Mixed-to-bullish | Uber and Airbnb offer real-time consumer-spending reads; Disney’s media/parks segment adds a third data point. |
| Communication Services | Mixed | Disney’s content strength contrasts with The Trade Desk’s ad-tech competitive pressure. |
| Financials | Neutral | No major standalone catalyst this week beyond broader rate-path repricing ahead of Friday’s jobs report. |
| Real Estate / Utilities | Neutral-to-cautious | Rate-sensitive sectors; a hawkish payrolls surprise Friday would be a modest headwind. |
Biggest Risks This Week
| Risk | Rating | What Could Happen |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Reserve hawkish repricing | Very High | Three regional Fed presidents dissented for a hike in July; September rate-hike odds have been climbing with no meeting this week to anchor expectations. |
| Nonfarm payrolls surprise risk | Very High | A hot Friday report could accelerate hike bets; a weak one (echoing June’s soft +57,000 print) could revive rate-cut hopes. |
| Iran conflict / Strait of Hormuz | Very High | The reinstated blockade keeps Brent crude ~9% above pre-conflict levels; further escalation could spike oil and rattle markets in a single session. |
| AI-capex dispersion | High | Microsoft and Amazon’s beats contrast with Apple and Meta’s stumbles — AMD’s and Palantir’s reports will show whether that split continues. |
| Ad-tech / consumer earnings risk | Medium-High | The Trade Desk enters its report down ~40% YTD; a second disappointment would be a significant negative signal for digital ad demand. |
| Component-cost / memory-price inflation | Medium-High | Apple cited severe DRAM/NAND price inflation; AMD’s guided gross margin (~56%) faces the same input-cost pressure. |
| Oil-price volatility (both directions) | High | Crude stays elevated on the Iran conflict even as OPEC+ adds supply, creating two-sided risk for ConocoPhillips and consumer input costs. |
| Healthcare medical-cost-ratio risk | Medium | CVS Health’s insurance segment has been a recurring source of cost-trend surprises across managed care this year. |
Bullish and Bearish Trade Ideas This Week
These aren’t recommendations to buy or sell — they’re a summary of where analyst sentiment and this week’s catalysts point, based on our research. Always do your own research and consider your own risk tolerance before making investment decisions.
Top 5 Bullish Setups
| Company (Ticker) | Confidence | Primary Catalyst | Key Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Lilly (LLY) | 64% | Q2 earnings Aug 5; continued GLP-1 volume growth and a strong beat-and-raise track record. | Competitive GLP-1 pressure or manufacturing capacity constraints. |
| ConocoPhillips (COP) | 62% | Q2 earnings Aug 6; EPS guided up ~108.5% YoY on elevated oil prices. | OPEC+ supply increases or a sudden Iran-conflict de-escalation. |
| AMD (AMD) | 60% | Q2 earnings Aug 4; data-center revenue guided to 70%+ growth on the AI-capex tailwind. | Gross-margin pressure from memory costs or a growth deceleration. |
| Disney (DIS) | 60% | FQ3 earnings Aug 5; revenue guided to its strongest growth in three-plus years. | Streaming-subscriber deceleration given a high bar of four straight beats. |
| Palantir (PLTR) | 58% | Q2 earnings Aug 3; consensus models 80%+ revenue growth and a possible guidance raise. | Elevated valuation multiple vulnerable to any growth deceleration. |
Top 5 Bearish Setups
| Company (Ticker) | Confidence | Primary Catalyst | Key Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Trade Desk (TTD) | 58% | Q2 earnings Aug 6; stock down ~40% YTD after a prior guidance miss and margin pressure. | A revenue beat above the conservative guide could spark a sharp relief rally. |
| Apple (AAPL) | 50% | Worst one-day decline in 16 months after guiding to 9–11% revenue growth on component shortages. | Services and installed-base strength could offset near-term hardware concerns. |
| Meta Platforms (META) | 48% | Fell ~9% on a disappointing Q3 revenue forecast and rising AI-related costs. | Ad-pricing strength or reassuring capex-discipline commentary could stabilize shares. |
| CVS Health (CVS) | 46% | Q2 earnings Aug 5; single-digit growth guided amid sector-wide medical-cost-ratio risk. | A cleaner-than-expected cost-trend update could extend the post-Q1 rally instead. |
| Airbnb (ABNB) | 45% | Q2 earnings Aug 6; discretionary travel demand could show early signs of consumer fatigue. | Resilient summer-travel booking growth could easily reverse this read. |
Build a Watchlist for This Week’s Trade Ideas
From bullish Eli Lilly and ConocoPhillips to bearish The Trade Desk and Apple, track every stock on this week’s list in one place.
Set Up Your Watchlist on TradingView →Key Takeaways
- Monday’s Palantir report and Tuesday’s AMD report are the week’s first two tests of AI-sector sentiment, following Microsoft and Amazon’s strong cloud-earnings beats the prior week.
- Microsoft’s Azure revenue topped $100 billion for the fiscal year (+43% growth) and Amazon’s AWS grew 37% — its fastest pace in 18 quarters — but Amazon also raised 2026 capex guidance to roughly $220 billion, keeping the spending-versus-payback debate alive.
- Apple suffered its worst one-day stock decline in 16 months despite beating headline estimates, after guiding to 9–11% revenue growth versus a 12% Street consensus, citing component shortages and DRAM/NAND price inflation.
- Meta fell roughly 9% on a disappointing Q3 revenue forecast and rising AI-related costs, even after posting record quarterly revenue.
- The Federal Reserve held rates at 3.50%–3.75% on July 29, but three regional presidents dissented in favor of a hike — an unusually hawkish split under new Chair Kevin Warsh, who has also removed forward guidance from Fed statements.
- With no FOMC meeting this week, Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report is the single most important data point on the calendar.
- Wednesday, August 5 is the busiest earnings session of the week: Disney, Uber, CVS Health, and Eli Lilly all report, spanning media, mobility, healthcare, and pharma.
- Disney’s revenue is guided to grow more than 7% — its strongest quarterly growth in over three years — while Eli Lilly continues to post outsized Mounjaro/Zepbound-driven growth.
- ConocoPhillips reports Thursday with EPS guided up roughly 108.5% year-over-year, extending the prior week’s oil-driven energy-earnings story even as OPEC+ added supply.
- The Trade Desk, down roughly 40% year-to-date after a prior guidance miss, reports Thursday in one of the week’s highest-stakes, most binary setups.
Frequently Asked Questions
What stocks should I watch this week in the US market?
The 10 stocks with the clearest catalysts this week are AMD, Palantir, Nvidia, Eli Lilly, Disney, ConocoPhillips, Uber, Airbnb, The Trade Desk, and CVS Health — all tied to dated earnings reports or direct exposure to this week’s AI-sector and oil-price storylines.
When does AMD report earnings?
AMD is scheduled to report Q2 2026 earnings after market close on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
When does Palantir report earnings?
Palantir Technologies is scheduled to report Q2 2026 earnings after market close on Monday, August 3, 2026.
When does Disney report earnings?
The Walt Disney Company is scheduled to report fiscal Q3 2026 earnings before market open on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
What is the Federal Reserve expected to do this week?
There is no Federal Reserve meeting this week — the next FOMC meeting is September 16, 2026. However, three regional Fed presidents dissented in favor of a rate hike at the July meeting, and Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report will be closely watched for clues about the Fed’s next move.
Why did Apple’s stock fall even though it beat earnings estimates?
Apple posted record results but guided to 9–11% revenue growth for the next quarter, below the roughly 12% Wall Street expected, citing component shortages and rising memory-chip prices — a reminder that guidance, not just the headline beat, moves stocks.
Why are oil prices still elevated in 2026?
An escalating conflict involving Iran, including a reinstated blockade near the Strait of Hormuz shipping route, has kept oil prices roughly 9% above where they traded before the conflict began, even as OPEC+ has added extra production.
What is AI capital expenditure (capex) and why does it matter for stocks?
Capex is the money companies spend building assets like data centers and chip factories before they earn revenue from them. Investors are increasingly focused on whether that spending is translating into actual growth — Microsoft and Amazon’s results suggest it is, at least for now.
Why is The Trade Desk’s earnings report considered high-risk this week?
The Trade Desk is down roughly 40% year-to-date after a Q1 guidance miss and gross-margin pressure. A second consecutive disappointing quarter could extend that decline, while a beat above its conservative guidance could spark a sharp relief rally.
What is a Federal Reserve dissent?
A dissent is when a Federal Reserve policymaker votes against the majority decision at a meeting. Three dissents in favor of a rate hike at the same meeting, as happened in July 2026, is unusually high and signals real internal disagreement about inflation risk.
Related Reading
- Top 10 US Stocks to Watch This Week (July 27–31, 2026)
- Top 10 UK Stocks to Watch This Week (July 27–31, 2026)
- Top 10 Asian Stocks to Watch This Week (July 27–31, 2026)
- Top 10 Forex Pairs and Commodities to Watch This Week (July 27–31, 2026)
- Crypto Market Outlook: The Fed, Big Tech Earnings, and Bitcoin’s Biggest Week of the Summer (July 27–31, 2026)
Conclusion
The week of August 3–7, 2026 opens with U.S. stocks near record highs, propelled by Microsoft and Amazon’s decisive AI-earnings wins — even as Apple’s worst decline in 16 months and Meta’s disappointing forecast are a reminder that AI-era winners and losers are diverging sharply within the same group of companies.
That dispersion carries directly into this week: AMD’s Tuesday report is the clearest single-name test of whether AI-infrastructure demand is broadening beyond the biggest cloud companies, while Palantir’s Monday report sets an early tone for AI-software sentiment.
Beneath the AI narrative, a genuinely unusual monetary-policy story is unfolding. Three regional Fed presidents dissented in favor of a rate hike in July, and new Chair Kevin Warsh has stripped forward guidance from the Fed’s communications — a deliberate embrace of unpredictability that makes Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report the week’s single most important data point.
Add in a broad earnings slate spanning healthcare, media, travel, and energy, and this week offers a genuine test of whether economic strength is spreading beyond mega-cap tech. Investors should treat Tuesday’s AMD report and Wednesday’s four-company session as the week’s clearest sentiment gauges, and Friday’s jobs report as the event most likely to move the entire market in a single session.
Disclosure: The content on this page was produced with AI writing assistance under the editorial direction of a licensed Electrical Engineering practitioner and certified investor in different markets with over a decade of experience. All articles are reviewed and approved by the author before publication.
