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Wall St Week Ahead: Investors watch for Fed clues and earnings signs, as tech wobbles
Investors will be looking for clues this week about the?likelihood of imminent interest-rate increases and the early signs of an important earnings season to gauge the strength of U.S. stocks'?rally. This week, the second half of the year 2026 began'much like the first half did' with the rocky performance of "heavyweight" technology shares affecting major indexes. The minutes of the Federal Reserve's last month's meeting as well as earnings reports from Delta Air Lines, PepsiCo and other companies could be new indicators for a market that has been shaky in recent weeks due to its tech-fueled rally. The market has seen gains over the last few months thanks to tech shares, and in particular semiconductors. The benchmark S&P 500 rose 14.9% during the second quarter, which ended on Tuesday. This was its best quarter since 2019. In recent months, this group has seen a dramatic swing, with steep drops to end the week. Over the last month, other sectors such as financial, industrial, and healthcare stocks have done well, giving investors hope of a healthy market rotation that will lead to broader gains. Joe Mazzola is the head trading and derivatives strategist at Charles Schwab. He said, "I'll be watching that over the next few weeks to see if or not this broadening continues." If you start to see a prolonged pullback of some technology winners, will that mean the market is going backwards? INVESTORS SEEK RATES CLUES FROM FED MINUTES. The outlook for interest rate?has changed from expectations of equity-friendly rates cuts at the beginning of the year to projections for hikes in the next months. These expectations of rate hikes were slightly reduced on Thursday after a less-than-expected job report. Following the Federal Reserve's meeting last month, which was led for the first time by Kevin Warsh as chairperson, hawkish bets were on the rise. He said the Fed would be focused on price stability and inflation that is above its 2% target. The minutes of that meeting are expected to be released on Wednesday. Warsh warned that the Fed would not be able to control the markets and had ceased providing any guidance as to what it might do in the short term. This could make the minutes of future Fed meetings more significant. Matthew Miskin is the co-chief investment strategy at Manulife John Hancock Investments. Investors and markets will be asking: what is the new Fed Chairman and the updated (Fed Policymaking Body) looking for in order to determine where rates are headed from here? Investors said that a key issue was how Fed policymakers viewed the inflationary impact energy prices. Energy prices had been declining since the spikes caused by the Iran war. The extent of the divisions among Fed officials is another important topic. Bonds can be more attractive to investors than stocks if interest rates rise. This is because higher interest rates increase borrowing costs for both consumers and businesses. LSEG data showed that Fed fund futures at the end of Thursday indicated roughly equal odds that?the Central Bank would raise rates before its September meeting. The Labor Department's data on Thursday showed that U.S. employment growth was slowed dramatically in June. This helped to calm some fears of a rate hike. "If the Fed becomes more restrictive and begins a tightening process, this is a risk for the market and valuations", said James Ragan. He is co-CIO at D.A. Davidson. "I think it's important to get more information about what the Fed is thinking." SEASONAL PIVOTAL EARNINGS The release of services and manufacturing activity could clarify the inflation trend in a week with relatively few economic data releases. In recent months, stocks have recovered from the declines caused by the U.S./Israeli conflict over Iran. The S&P 500 has risen more than 9% since 2026 while the Nasdaq Composite, which is heavily tech-oriented, has risen 11%. The market's rise was fueled by the surprising strength of first-quarter corporate earnings. This has raised the bar as the second-quarter report season heats up this month. Next week, two early reports will be released: Delta and the snack and beverage manufacturer PepsiCo. Both offer different perspectives regarding consumer spending trends. According to LSEG, IBES, the S&P 500 is expected to grow earnings in the second quarter by over 24%. Keith Lerner is the chief investment officer of Truist Advisory Services. He said that if the north star is earnings, then the most important thing to do for earnings season is to confirm the earnings trajectory this year, and ensure the upward momentum will continue into next year. (Reporting and editing by Michelle Price, David Gregorio and Lewis Krauskopf)
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As the far-right AfD aims for power, thousands of protesters in Germany are taking to the streets.
On Saturday, thousands of protesters blocked the roads leading to the annual conference of Germany's far right AfD in the eastern city?Erfurt. The party was re-electing the two leaders who had overseen the rise of the party as a national force. AfD’s two-day AfD conference was preceded by a large number of protesters, including unionists, civil societies and left-wing groups. AfD is Alternative for Germany. Protesters, surrounded by riot police wearing riot gear and seated in rows, blocked highways and roads that led to the convention center where the meeting was being held. Around 15,000 demonstrators were estimated by police to have taken part in the demonstrations around and within the eastern city. AfD re-elected Alice Weidel, Tino Chrupalla as party leaders. Under their leadership the AfD is now leading the national opinion polls over the conservatives of Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Opening speeches ridiculed and lambasted protesters as antidemocratic. The opening speeches mocked and lambasted the protesters as anti-democratic. Weidel stated, "This is our last chance to save this country." "More people want to join us in our fight against Germany's declining, the?fight for fatherland and our identity." Minutes before the AfD convention began, the AfD social media stream played a song entitled "Send them Back" to highlight the party's hardline on immigration. Vintage-style cards with slogans like "YOU WILL BE DEPORTED" were sold inside the convention centre. Bjoern Höecke, a controversial and radical leader of the SPD, offered a mixture of nostalgia and invective. He even pointed to the state of Germany’s motorway restrooms as an indication of societal malaise. "A great Germany would be a country where you don't have to worry about taking an evening stroll through the park. "A great Germany is one where apartment keys are left on the door of the building," he said. Leading in the Polls The conference comes ?ahead of elections in the eastern states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern that the AfD hopes will help pave the way for success at national level, a prospect that has alarmed its opponents. "We simply will not tolerate this, that fascism in Germany is on the increase," Georg Becker said, a spokeswoman for Widersetzen (Resist), an umbrella anti-AfD group that was behind?the Erfurt demonstrations. The AfD was formed more than a decade ago. It has used a mixture of nationalist language, called for stricter immigration policies, and appealed to voters who are frustrated by successive governments, and years of economic stagnation. Weidel stated that criminals and illegal immigrants have no place in Germany anymore. "We will deport these people firmly, because Germany deserves better." The AfD is accused by its opponents of promoting "racist policies" and attitudes that are incompatible with Germany’s democratic values. They also claim it threatens the constitutional order of the country. The mainstream parties have refused to work together, as part of a "firewall" policy designed to keep the AfD out of coalition government. AfD leaders have denied?opposing Germany’s democratic foundations. Earlier this year, they won a court order?ordering that the domestic intelligence service suspend its previous classification as an "extremist" party. Recent polls show that AfD supporters are as high as 29 percent, compared to Merz's conservative CDU/CSU. The former communist east is where the strongest support for the party system comes from. Surveys show that voters are most disillusioned with it. (Writing and reporting by James Mackenzie, Matthias Williams and Susanne Neumayer Remter; editing by Mark Potter).
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Authorities say that a major drone attack on the St Petersburg oil terminal and port was carried out by Ukraine.
Authorities in St Petersburg, Russia's second largest city and the surrounding Leningrad area said on Saturday that a major Ukrainian drone strike overnight had hit a local oil pipeline and port. Alexander Beglov, the Governor of St Petersburg, said that the city with a population of 6,000,000 had been subjected to a "large scale" drone attack. The city's oil storage terminal was also hit. He stated that there were no injuries and the aftermath had been handled. Alexander Drozdenko, Governor of the Leningrad Region, said that drones struck the port of Vysotsk on the Gulf of Finland. The port is located about 170 kilometers (105 miles), northwest of St Petersburg. The port is used to handle oil, grain and coal, as well as liquefied gas. Drozdenko stated that 72 drones were shot down in the Leningrad area. Ukraine has intensified its strikes against Russian energy infrastructure this year, leading to fuel shortages across parts of Russia. St Petersburg is about 900km (560miles) from Ukrainian-held territory.?Kyiv drones have occasionally attacked St Petersburg. The city's oil-terminal and a moored ship were among the targets during the St?Petersburg International Economic Forum held in June. The governor of Pskov Region, south?of St Petersburg said that more than 30 'drones were shot down overnight. He reported minor injuries and damage, including to the factory in Velikiye-Luki. Reporting by. Felix Light is the author. Mark Potter (editing by Felix Light)
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Yemen's Houthis warn Saudi Arabia of their targets in response to Iran's flight to Sanaa
Yemen's Houthis claimed on Friday that their forces had engaged Saudi "warplanes", which they claimed 'attempted to stop an Iranian civilian aircraft from landing at Sanaa International Airport', according to the military spokesperson for the group Yahya Saarea. Sarea, an Iran-aligned group, warned they would "target Saudi airports and vital interest on land and sea" if Saudi Arabia continued to violate Yemeni airspace. He added that flights between Sanaa, Iran and Tehran would continue despite "possible consequences". Al Masirah TV, a Houthi-run channel, reported on Friday that an Iranian plane landed in Sanaa to fly the group's delegation to Tehran for the funeral of Iran’s late Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Other passengers included more than 200 patients. Saudi Arabia led the military coalition which intervened in Yemen after the Iran-aligned Houthis took over the capital Sanaa in 2015. The Saudi-led coalition claimed early on Saturday that the Houthis' statements against the Kingdom were an attempt to "divert the attention" away from the group's "violations". It warned it would react firmly with "unprecedented force" against any attempts to attack the kingdom or violate Yemen's sovereignty. The Houthis demonstrated their missile and drone capabilities in Yemen's?war by attacking Saudi Arabia, targeting oil installations and critical infrastructure. Reporting by Eman Abohassira, Menna Alaa el-Din and Editing by Louise Heavens Philippa Fletcher David Gregorio
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Heatwave disrupts Fourth of Jule events in eastern US
The Fourth of July festivities were disrupted by a 'dangerous heatwave' that swept across large swathes of the central and eastern U.S. The Great American State Fair, which was a major event in President Donald Trump's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, was also affected by the heat. The Great American State Fair was temporarily closed Friday afternoon as temperatures reached 101° Fahrenheit (38° Celsius). The organizers said that they expect the fair to reopen by?5 pm, with modifications such as cooling tents and spritzing stations. The emergence of the "heat dome," a system of high pressure that traps hot air over a large area, caused record-breaking temperatures to spread from the Midwest to the east of the U.S. earlier this week. More than 185 million people, or more than half of the U.S. population, were under heat alerts on Friday. National Weather Service reported that on Friday there were heat alerts for over 185 million people, more than half of the?U.S. In some parts of the nation, heat indexes can reach up to 115 F (46 C). Forecasters and government officials warned that this heat wave could be deadly. The government urged Americans to be hydrated and seek shade when attending public events and gatherings during the Fourth of Independence weekend. There were cancellations of events along the Eastern Seaboard during the Fourth of July weekend. This is when Americans usually 'gather to barbecues, parades, and fireworks displays in celebration of the 1776 Declaration?of?Independence. The Salute to Independence Parade in?Philadelphia was canceled due to extreme heat. The decision was made after temperatures reached 103 F in Philadelphia on Thursday. This tied a record set back in 1901. Heat-related disruptions were also felt in other parts of the region. Haddon Township in New Jersey canceled its annual Fourth of July parade. Watertown, upstate New York, cancelled its Independence Day concert. Boston officials have delayed the entrance to an annual riverside celebration of fireworks by four hours. The event was originally scheduled to begin at noon, but now it will start at 4 p.m. Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein, Washington; Nathan Layne, New York. Editing by Mark Porter and David Gregorio.
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Heatwave disrupts Fourth of Jule events in eastern US
The Fourth of July celebrations were ruined by a 'dangerous heatwave' that swept through much of central and eastern U.S. On Friday, the heat wave forced officials to cancel or postpone dozens parades, concerts, and fireworks displays in celebration of the 250th anniversary of America. The Great American State Fair, a centerpiece event of President Donald Trump's efforts to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America on the National Mall of Washington was temporarily closed on Friday afternoon due to temperatures of 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Organisers have said that it is expected to reopen, weather permitting, at?5 pm, with modifications such as cooling tents and misting station. The National Weather Service reported that record-breaking temperatures reached the east coast of the United States from the Midwest this week. Over 185 million people received heat alerts for Friday. In many areas, peak heat indexes could reach?up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Forecasters and government officials warned that the heat wave was potentially deadly. They urged Americans to celebrate the Fourth of July outdoors, stay hydrated and seek shade, and be on guard for signs of heat illness. At least seven states have reported event cancellations, including a "major Independence Day Parade" in Philadelphia, as well as "events" in Maryland's Takoma Park, and Loudoun County in Virginia. Ahmed Aboulenein reported from Washington, Nathan Layne from New York and Mark Porter edited the story.
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PJM, the largest US power grid, intensifies emergency measures to prevent blackouts
PJM, the largest U.S. power 'grid operator, said?Friday he was on a federal alert for reducing electricity consumption in his territory due to generator failures, massive overloading of?its transmission lines and a spike in ac usage from prolonged sweltering temperatures. PJM said it had told utilities that they could reduce the electricity supplied to customers if they were under contract. PJM serves 67,000,000 people in the Mid-Atlantic, South, and Washington, D.C. area. This week, spot wholesale electricity prices in Northern Virginia, the home of the largest 'collection of data centres in the world, soared past $2,000 per megawatt hour. This compares to a?about 40?per MWh if PJM was not in distress. According to industry analysts and PJM operations data, the surge in prices is mainly because it's becoming expensive to supply power accross congested high voltage power lines.
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Alupar and Axia win power transmission projects in Brazil
A consortium led by Brazilian power company Alupar secured the largest lot in Friday's power transmission auction in Brazil, while Axia Energy won the other three projects. The consortium of Alupar, the Infra II Investment fund and other partners'secured' the installation of underground transmission in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo with a proposal that offered to take 48 percent of the maximum revenue the project could generate. The auctioned lots on Friday were the most expensive, with the highest?investment expected at 1.1 billion reais (212.9?million). Axia Energia was awarded the remaining projects in Sao Paulo state, Mato Grosso state, and Mato Grosso do Sul with 668 million reais of required investment. According to the results released in Sao Paulo by the B3 stock market, Axia's winning offers offered a discount of more than 50% on the?allowed revenue in three cases. Brazil reauctioned four 'power transmission projects' after MEZ Energia - a company which had won concessions for 2020 and 2021 - failed to progress with them.
As flights to the Middle East cease, governments plan to repatriate their citizens
Commercial flights have been grounded in some parts of the Middle East due to an escalating conflict after U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran. This has left foreigners stranded and prompted?governments' to plan repatriations.
In alphabetical order, here is what government officials and representatives have said about the repatriation plan:
AUSTRIA
Austria's Foreign Ministry said that it has assisted?117 citizens who were vulnerable to leave the UAE or Israel via neighbouring countries. It is planning a charter flight for 170 passengers from Muscat tomorrow, but warned that travellers would be leaving on their own risk.
BULGARIA
GullivAir (Bulgaria Air), State Aviation Operator and GullivAir will return Bulgarian citizens to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Oman - on Wednesday and Thursday. This includes a GullivAir flight with 326 seats from Dubai and a Bulgaria Air Boeing 737 via Oman. Also included is a 90 seat government aircraft that flies from Abu Dhabi.
CZECH REPUBLIC
According to the CTK news agency, government officials and Czech government officials, three flights have been organised so far from Oman, Jordan, and Egypt in order to evacuate 175 people who were stranded.
ESTONIA
The Estonian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that it had booked a flight from Muscat to Oman or the United Arab Emirates for Thursday. Each passenger would pay 400 euros.
FINLAND
The Finnish foreign ministry announced that Finland would organize a single flight to bring home the approximately 3,000 Finns currently living in the United Arab Emirates. The flight is scheduled to depart Muscat, Oman this weekend. The tickets will cost 2300 euros each, plus any travel expenses to Muscat.
FRANCE
On Wednesday, the French Foreign Minister announced that several flights were scheduled to bring home French nationals who are currently in the area. Around 400,000 French citizens live in this region.
France has deployed consular teams to Israel's border with Egypt and Jordan in order to facilitate the land exits of people so they can continue their journey by air. A similar mechanism has been implemented in the UAE, at the borders with Oman, Saudi Arabia and Oman, where there has been no restriction on airspace.
GERMANY
Berlin plans to charter two Lufthansa?flights from Riyadh, and one from Muscat to bring back particularly vulnerable citizens, such as children and pregnant women, and people with disabilities.
Emirates Airline flight departures to Dusseldorf, Munich and Frankfurt were scheduled for Wednesday. Lufthansa will fly a plane from Muscat to Germany at noon local time. The plane should arrive in Frankfurt early on Thursday.
GREECE
Aegean Flight carrying Greek Nationals from Oman requested by the Foreign Ministry will land in Athens Wednesday afternoon. Prime Minister KyriakosMitsotakis stated that Greece had a plan for repatriating thousands of its citizens stranded across the Middle East.
HUNGARY
The Hungarian Foreign Minister said that repatriation flights would be operated from Amman and Sharm el-Sheikh on Wednesday and Friday, each aircraft carrying 90 passengers.
The Italian foreign ministry reported that about 2,500 Italians had returned from Abu Dhabi and Riyadh on commercial flights supported by the ministry. It added that additional departures will be made from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, Muscat and Riyadh in the next few days, as well as Male and Colombo.
Netherlands
On Wednesday, the Dutch government announced that it would be organising several repatriation flight with Dutch tour operators in the next few days. On Wednesday, a first KLM flight was used to bring back 85 Dutch citizens who had been in Oman.
POLAND
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that a plane dispatched for the pick-up of Poles in need of medical assistance was expected to land on Oman at the same time.
ROMANIA
The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that FlyDubai had scheduled two flights from Dubai to Bucharest on both Wednesday and Thursday. The ministry has received over 3,000 requests for repatriation and around 16,000 Romanians are registered in the area.
SERBIA
Air Serbia's flight from Sharm el-Sheikh landed at Belgrade early Wednesday morning with 67 passengers evacuated from Israel.
SLOVAKIA
The Slovak Foreign Ministry announced that two evacuation flights from Jordan, organised by Slovakia, landed in the country on Tuesday. They carried 127 people, mainly Slovaks. There are more flights planned.
SLOVENIA
The Prime Minister's Office announced in a statement that on Tuesday four buses were organized by Slovenia to transport Slovenians and families with young children from Dubai airport to Muscat Airport in Oman.
Two more flights are scheduled for late afternoon or evening on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's Foreign Minister, announced that the country had begun to evacuate its citizens. On Tuesday night, more than 175 Spanish citizens arrived in Abu Dhabi via Istanbul. Further flights are expected to arrive from the UAE.
Albares said that Spain would also reinforce its embassies located in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to support and facilitate future repatriations.
THAILAND
Thailand will evacuate its citizens from Iran by land into Turkey between March 7 and 10 while those stranded are either returning to their home countries or will do so once the airspace is reopened.
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
State news agency WAM reports that the UAE Civil Aviation Authority will start operating "special flight" across all of the country's international airports in order to assist some of the tens and thousands of passengers stranded within the region.
UNITED KINGDOM
The British Foreign Office announced that British chartered flights would leave Oman Wednesday evening and on Thursday morning. Priority will be given to vulnerable UK citizens who wish to "leave" the region.
Announced: Limited or no government evacuations
Australia has said it will not evacuate its citizens as long as regional airspace is closed. With 115,000 Australians currently in the Middle East the government plans to focus on commercial flights when normal services resume.
Switzerland announced that it will not organize evacuations for 4,400 travellers and 35, 000 residents of the region.
The U.S. State Department advised Americans to immediately leave more than 12 Middle Eastern countries using commercial options.
(source: Reuters)