Earnings Dominate Market Sentiment On Wall Street, Volatile Oil Jumps 6%

Barry Adams
29 Jul, 2026
New York City

U.S. stocks wavered ahead of the Federal Reserve's rate decisions later in the session, and crude oil prices rebounded after tensions in the Middle East flared up. 

The S&P 500 Index decreased 0.1%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite declined 0.2% as investors reviewed the latest batch of earnings. 

West Texas crude oil prices rose 5% to $83.22 a barrel after the U.S. Central Command said in a social media post it had successfully intercepted missile attacks launched by Iran. 

The U.S. and Iran exchanged military strikes for thirteen consecutive days, disrupting energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and preventing crude oil and natural gas reaching global markets. 

Crude oil prices have surged more than 20% over the last three weeks, driven by renewed uncertainty of supplies from the Gulf nations. 

 

U.S. Movers 

Ford Motor Company rose 7% to $15.99 after the vehicle maker reported better-than-expected second quarter results. 

Visa Inc. decreased 2.4% to $358.0 after the payment processor reported its fiscal third quarter ending in June. 

Revenue increased 14% to $11.6 billion from $10.2 billion, net income advanced 7% to $5.6 billion from $5.3 billion, and diluted earnings per share rose 10% to $2.97 from $2.69 a year ago. 

Total revenue growth was driven by an 11% increase in payments and 9% growth in processed transactions, led by expansion in digital commerce.

The company said it returned $6.2 billion to shareholders, including $4.9 billion in stock repurchases and $1.3 billion in dividends, and as of the end of June, about $28.4 billion was available under stock repurchase authorization. 

The U.S. payment volume increased 10%, driven by an 11% rise in credit volume, a 9% increase in debit charges, and international payments advanced 10% from a year ago, respectively. 

The FIFA World Cup also supported a surge in cross-border payment processing, and inbound processing rose 25% in the U.S. host cities, 70% in Mexico, and 35% in Canada. 

Visa estimated fourth-quarter adjusted net revenue growth at the high end of the "low-double-digit percentage range," full-year 2026 net revenue growth at the low end of the low-teens percentage range, and adjusted earnings per share growth at the low end of the mid-teens percentage range.