Presented by

CLOSING BELL
Mid-Week Markets Climb

It’s a wrap. The market closed higher, despite a morning tech selloff. The President said he would not remove Jerome Powell, the chief monetary policymaker, despite reports to the contrary.

As prices rose, financial service reports led the way higher, with a second day of big ol’ bank earnings. Goldman Sachs broke trading revenue records, and drug giant Johnson & Johnson cut its forward-looking tariff worries. 👀

Today's issue covers More bank earnings, the Fed’s boring beige book said businesses were seeing higer prices, and more. 📰

With the final numbers for indexes and the ETFs that track them, 10 of 11 sectors closed green, with healthcare $XLV ( ▲ 1.24% ) leading and energy $XLE ( ▼ 0.86% ) lagging.

S&P 500 $SPY ( ▲ 0.33% ) 6,263

Nasdaq 100 $QQQ ( ▲ 0.1% ) 22,907

Russell 2000 $IWM ( ▲ 1.01% ) 2,226

Dow Jones $DIA ( ▲ 0.5% ) 42,254

STOCKS
Big Banks Pull In Big Bucks During Volatile Times 

Of the institutions that reported early Wednesday, none was a better sign of the times than Goldman Sachs.

$GS ( ▲ 0.9% ) reported EPS of $10.91, exceeding estimates of $9.69, and revenue of $14.6B, surpassing estimates of $13.58B. The firm pulled in $840M more in revenue than Wall Street had expected- and printed a 22% climb in profit from the same time last year. The name of the game? Stock volatility. 🤑 

Equities trading pulled in $4.3B in revenue for the firm, as Goldman enjoyed its seat as a trading middleman. CEO David Solomon said markets are responding positively to current policies, citing strong Q2 earnings and investor confidence.

“The economy and markets are generally responding positively to the evolving policy environment,” he said, “Given the strategic decisions and investments we’ve made, we continue to believe that the firm is well-positioned to perform for our shareholders.”

It was not the only bank stock to report a beat. Morgan Stanley reported EPS of $2.13, exceeding estimates of $1.98, and revenue of $16.8B, surpassing the estimated $16.07B.

PNC reported EPS of $3.85, surpassing estimates, with revenue of $5.7B also exceeding expectations; it expects net interest income to increase approximately 7% for the full year 2025.

Bank of America $BAC ( ▼ 0.26% ) reported Q2 '25 EPS of $0.89, beating estimates of $0.86, and revenue of $26.46B, falling short of the $26.72B estimate, while maintaining its guidance.

It Aint A Bank, But It’s Optimistic

Johnson & Johnson $JNJ ( ▲ 6.19% ) raised its sales guidance for 2025, and cut its projected tariff costs by half to $200 million. It was a strong Q2, with a 5.8% increase in domestic sales, but the revised guidance, based on a more optimistic trade environment, means the pharma giant is aiming for up to a 5.6% growth rate this year, nearly double the previous forecast. 💊 

SPONOSORED
His First Venture Sold for $120M – This Time is Different

Austin Allison is familiar with using tech to disrupt real estate – his first venture, dotloop, was acquired for $120M. But despite bringing industry fame, one nagging regret remained. 

"I always wished we gave retail investors the chance to invest in dotloop and share that success," Allison later said.

Now he’s doing just that. Austin built upon that experience to launch Pacaso, the co-ownership marketplace disrupting the $1.3T vacation home industry. And it’s working. 

They’ve surpassed $110M in gross profit to date, including 41% YoY growth last year. They’ve earned backing from firms like Maveron and Greycroft. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO. And unlike dotloop, you can become an investor in Pacaso as a private company. 

This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.

*3rd Party Ad. Not an offer or recommendation by Stocktwits. See disclosure here.

EARNINGS AFTER THE BELL
Wednesday Night Reports You Gotta Know

$UAL ( ▲ 2.42% ) United posted an adjusted Q2 EPS of $3.87, beating estimates, and revenue that climbed just 1.7% YoY It was not enough for the post-market trade, and the stock fell.

$KMI ( ▼ 0.11% ) Kinder Morgan climbed slightly after reporting higher profits in Q2, with boosted results on strong demand for natural gas.

$AA ( ▲ 0.25% ) climbed after the aluminum mining and smelting firm Alcoa posted adjusted EPS of $0.39, more than double last year in the same quarter.  

MACRO NEWS
Everyone Held Their Breath On The Release Of The Fed’s Beige Book (Not Really) 📔 

The Fed released its summary of economic factors reported from the 12 different districts of the U.S. on Wednesday, recording that economic activity increased slightly between May and July.

The overall condition showed improvement over the last report, the document read. Of course, all 12 regions reported price increases, a sign of the times. Many businesses surveyed and those that contributed to the report stated that they faced cost increases and tariff pressures, although some attempted to hold off on raising prices. Consumers are growing testy about inflation, who knew?

The Wall Street Journal published an interesting collection of analyst updates following the release of CPI inflation numbers on Tuesday. Prices climbed 2.7%, a little above estimates, but some sectors were hit harder than others. Imported furniture and clothing prices bumped higher, and economists see the trend continuing.

The costs for core goods excluding autos rose at their fastest monthly pace in three years, according to UBS. The same analysts project that overall inflation won’t slow to April’s 2.3% rate between now and the end of 2027. 👀 

SPONSORED

Real News for Real People — Not Partisans

Feeling like you want to get off the rollercoaster of polarizing politics? Read Tangle — an independent and nonpartisan political newsletter recently profiled on This American Life for helping to bridge the gap between politically divided families. Each day, the newsletter unpacks one important news story, examining it from all sides of the political spectrum.

Read it for free.

*3rd Party Ad. Not an offer or recommendation by Stocktwits. See disclosure here.

POPS & DROPS
Top Stocktwits News Stories 🗞️ 

Bitmine stock surged after Peter Thiel, co-founder of Palantir, disclosed a stake. Bitmine has aimed to be the Strategy of ETH, and has shot like a rocket after announcing its plans, buying up $500M of Ethereum, and appointing Tom Lee as Chair. Read more

The House advanced the Genius and Clarity crypto bills, aiming to establish clearer regulatory guardrails while preserving innovation across digital assets.
$CRCL ( ▲ 19.39% ) and $COIN ( ▲ 2.62% ) climbed on the news. Read more

Mars is under investigation in Texas for continuing to use artificial dyes in M&Ms and Skittles, raising concerns about consumer safety and transparency. Read more

Trump said 150 countries will receive tariff letters, escalating global trade tensions and signaling a more aggressive stance on U.S. economic policy. Read more

Citigroup raised price targets on cruise stocks, citing sustained demand and limited capacity as key drivers for potential pricing power in the sector. Read more

Rigetti achieved 99.5% accuracy with its modular quantum chip, signaling major progress in scalable quantum computing. Read more

Roblox unveiled an IP licensing tool and struck deals to integrate experiences from hit Netflix shows directly into gameplay, expanding immersive branded content on its platform. Read more

Nvidia joined Meta, Microsoft, Palantir, and Tesla on Wedbush’s top tech stock list ahead of Q2 earnings, reflecting analyst confidence in AI-driven growth and innovation. Read more

Don’t miss a story! Follow @StocktwitsNews for a live feed in real time. ✍️ 

PRESENTED BY STOCKTWITS
🔵 COMMUNITY RIP LIVE W/GPAISA, JFDI & HOLDINGBAGS

Welcome back to Community Rip Live with Ben, GP, and Nick!

🔔 Subscribe for weekly market breakdowns and actionable trade ideas.

WHAT’S ON DECK
Tomorrow’s Top Things 📋

Economic data: Core Retail Sales (8:30 AM), Export + Import Price Index (8:30 AM), Jobless Claims (8:30 AM), Philly Fed Manufacturing Index (8:30 AM), FOMC Member Daly Speaks (12:45 PM), Atlanta Fed GDPNow (1:00 PM), Fed Waller Speaks (6:30 PM). 📊

Pre-Market Earnings: GE Aero ($GE), PepsiCo ($PEP), Abbott Laboratories ($ABT), Novartis ($NVS), U.S. Bancorp ($USB), Elevance Health ($ELV), Cintas ($CTAS), and Travelers Companies ($TRV) 🛏️

After-Hour Earnings: Netflix ($NFLX), Western Alliance ($WAL), and Interactive Brokers Group ($IBKR). 🎧

P.S. You can listen to all of these earnings calls and more straight from the Stocktwits app or website. You’ll find them on the calendar page and individual symbol pages once they’re set to begin! We’ll see you there. 👍

Links That Don’t Suck 🌐

🤳 Join IBD’s experts for a 5-hour virtual workshop on technical analysis, market timing and more. Enroll now *

⚠️ Trump Effect Starts to Show Up in Economy

👀 How Trump could use a building renovation to oust Fed Chair Powell

📺️ Nvidia’s resumption of H20 chip sales related to rare-earth element trade talks

🏗️ Ex-Waymo engineers launch Bedrock Robotics with $80M to automate construction

🏠️ Trump tariffs live updates: Trump says he'll send letters to over 150 countries, plans tariff barrage Aug. 1

*3rd Party Ad. Not an offer or recommendation by Stocktwits. See disclosure here.

Get In Touch 📬

Follow our social channels for great, real-time content on Stocktwits and Twitter. And check out our YouTube channel for in-depth video content! 📲

Help us deliver the best content possible by completing this brief survey. 📝

Want to see some change? Email me, Kevin Travers, your feedback; follow me on Stocktwits. What did I miss? What do you want to see? I’d love to hear from you. 📧 

Want to sponsor this newsletter and reach hundreds of thousands of passionate investors and traders? Reach us here. 

Terms & Conditions 📝

Securities Disclaimer: STOCKTWITS IS NOT A TAX ADVISOR, BROKER, FINANCIAL ADVISOR OR INVESTMENT ADVISOR. THE SERVICE IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE TAX, LEGAL, FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVICE, AND NOTHING ON THE SERVICE SHOULD BE CONSTRUED AS AN OFFER TO SELL, A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY, OR A RECOMMENDATION FOR ANY SECURITY. Trading in such securities can result in immediate and substantial losses of the capital invested. You should only invest risk capital, and not capital required for other purposes. You alone are solely responsible for determining whether any investment, security or strategy, or any other product or service, is appropriate or suitable for you based on your investment objectives and personal and financial situation. You should also consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation. The Content is to be used for informational and entertainment purposes only and the Service does not provide investment advice for any individual. Stocktwits, its affiliates and partners specifically disclaim any and all liability or loss arising out of any action taken in reliance on Content, including but not limited to market value or other loss on the sale or purchase of any company, property, product, service, security, instrument, or any other matter. You understand that an investment in any security is subject to a number of risks, and that discussions of any security published on the Service will not contain a list or description of relevant risk factors. In addition, please note that some of the stocks about which Content is published on the Service have a low market capitalization and/or insufficient public float. Such stocks are subject to more risk than stocks of larger companies, including greater volatility, lower liquidity and less publicly available information. Read the full terms & conditions here. 🔍

Author Disclosure: The author of this newsletter does not hold positions in any of the securities or assets mentioned. 📋