Vodafone raised its guidance on July 27 for the year ending March 2027, reflecting the inclusion of its Safaricom deal and a strong start to the new fiscal year. The company now expects core earnings of 13.0 13.3 billion euros and adjusted free cash flow of 2.6 2.9 billion euros. It said it expects to deliver results at the upper end of its new guidance range.

Asia’s spot LNG prices extended their rally for a fifth straight week, with September delivery into northeast Asia estimated at $22 per million British thermal units, a four-month high. The gains come as Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers and escalating U.S.-Iran fighting raise fears of broader disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea’s Bab el-Mandeb. Kpler has shifted its baseline view for Hormuz from de-escalation to a prolonged crisis scenario and forecasts Qatar’s LNG exports to fall below 27 million metric tons in 2026. Low European inventories are also intensifying competition between Europe and Asia for Atlantic basin LNG cargoes.

Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume said the automaker will deepen cost cuts after reporting its second-quarter results, proposing to double planned job reductions to 100,000 and warning that four German plants could face closure after 2030. Operating profit in the quarter fell 9.5% year on year to €3.5 billion, and the group dropped its revenue growth target, now forecasting a decline of up to 3% in 2026. The moves come as Volkswagen faces intensifying competition from more than 150 Chinese carmakers expanding into Europe with low-cost electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, according to Reuters.

Edwards Lifesciences reported second-quarter results that beat analysts’ expectations for both profit and revenue, supported by strong demand for its artificial heart valves used in complex cardiac procedures. The company’s shares rose nearly 7% in after-hours trading.

Freeport-McMoRan reported Q2 net income of $984 million and adjusted earnings of 74 cents per share, beating analysts’ estimate of 59 cents per share. The results were supported by a 41.5% year-on-year jump in the average copper price, even as copper output fell 18.2%. The company spent $363 million during the quarter to repair its Indonesia-based Grasberg mine after a September mudflow halted operations for nearly a month. In the U.S., refined copper tariff policy has yet to be finalized, and inventories are being moved into U.S. warehouses ahead of a decision.

Brent crude futures rose 2% to $96 a barrel in early trading as the U.S. launched a new round of strikes on Iran and Yemen’s Houthis targeted oil tankers in the Red Sea, widening the Middle East conflict. Analysts warned that a simultaneous closure of the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb in the Red Sea would disrupt shipping routes for more than a quarter of the world’s oil and gas. Nearly five months of war have depleted global stockpiles and stoked inflation worldwide.

Molina Healthcare lifted its 2024 adjusted earnings forecast to at least $5.25 per share, up from at least $5.00, but its shares fell more than 9% in extended trading after a relatively modest guidance increase. The company said its Marketplace business faced pressure during the quarter as a larger share of members needed costly medical care than expected. Molina also flagged expected losses of $1.50 per share this year tied to a new Florida Medicaid contract and $1 per share related to its planned Medicare Advantage exit in 2027. The quarter’s adjusted EPS came in at $1.51 and the medical cost ratio was 92.2%.

IBM on July 22 cut its 2026 revenue growth forecast to 4%–5%, down from its prior guidance of more than 5% and below the analysts’ average estimate of a 4.8% increase. The change follows a 42% drop in second-quarter revenue from IBM’s Z mainframe, which pulled infrastructure revenue down 7%, while software revenue rose 5% but fell short of expectations. Second-quarter revenue increased 1% to $17.16 billion, missing estimates of $17.58 billion, and adjusted profit of $2.93 per share also came in below forecasts.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has said the country will stop holding elections, prompting a sharp response from Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Nicaragua should not expect “business as usual” with the United States. The U.S. buys 35% of Nicaragua’s coffee exports, and Nicaragua earns about half a billion dollars a year from coffee exports worldwide. With U.S. coffee supplies tight for four years and retail prices near decade highs, any import restrictions or higher tariffs could further squeeze availability.