Berkshire Hathaway reported second-quarter net income that more than doubled to $25.67 billion, while stepping up share repurchases and stock buying. The company bought back $4.5 billion of its own shares and purchased nearly $20 billion in equities during the quarter, including about $10 billion in Alphabet. Berkshire’s cash and cash equivalents fell to $364.7 billion at the end of June from a record high, and it also disclosed spending $6.8 billion in late July to acquire shares of homebuilder Taylor Morrison.

Zinc prices have surged, with LME zinc reaching its highest level in nearly four years and MCX zinc futures touching a record high. Around 50-60% of global zinc consumption goes into galvanizing steel. The International Lead and Zinc Study Group (ILZSG) forecasts global refined zinc demand of about 14 million tonnes in 2026 versus projected production of around 13.99 million tonnes, implying an approximately 19,000-tonne deficit.

AI company Anthropic is projecting 2028 revenue of about $190 billion to $200 billion, far above its current revenue levels. The company’s revenue run rate was about $9 billion at the end of 2025 and rose to more than $47 billion by May 2026. The forecast is being disclosed publicly for the first time and underscores how much growth investors are being asked to price in.

U.S. retail sales fell 0.6% in July, sharply missing forecasts for a 0.1% rise after a 0.2% gain previously. Softer-than-expected CPI and PPI data this week pushed market pricing for a Federal Reserve rate hike to 31% for September and 69% for December. The dollar index slipped 0.25% to 99.67 as the euro rose 0.32% to 1.1564 and the pound gained 0.33% to 1.353.

S&P Dow Jones Indices said Reddit will join the S&P 500, replacing AvalonBay Communities. Following the announcement, Reddit shares were up more than 11% at $175.69, with trading volume nearly three times the daily average. The stock is down more than 31% year to date and more than 42% below its all-time high reached in September 2025.

Galaxy Surfactants reported Q1FY27 results with consolidated net profit doubling year on year to Rs 165.9 crore. Revenue rose 38.5% to Rs 1,785.2 crore and EBITDA hit a record Rs 252.5 crore. Following the earnings release, the stock touched a 20% upper circuit on the BSE at Rs 2,505.60.

Tata Motors’ passenger vehicles business reported an 80% year-on-year drop in consolidated net profit to Rs 775 crore for Q1 FY27, even as revenue rose 9% to Rs 95,799 crore and EBITDA margin narrowed 130 basis points to 7.4%. The company attributed the weaker quarter to supply disruptions, Middle East geopolitical tensions and the planned winddown of Jaguar. Following the results, the stock fell 5% to Rs 330.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, with the S&P 500 hitting an intraday record as technology shares led gains. Brent crude fell 2.2% on demand concerns and rising U.S. inventories. Risk appetite improved after U.S. producer price inflation came in below expectations, and Microsoft, Nvidia and Apple all ended higher.

U.S. retail inflation rose 0.1% in July and the annual rate eased to 3.4%, cutting the implied probability of a September Fed hike to 36%, according to CME FedWatch. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield fell 2 basis points to 4.67%. India’s benchmark government bond yield also slipped 2 basis points to 6.7582%, while Brent crude dropped 2% to $87.20 a barrel. Investors are watching New Delhi’s 320 billion rupee debt sale on Friday for signals on demand.