Economic Events and Corporate Reports: Tuesday, August 4, 2026 - JOLTS, Reports from Caterpillar, Pfizer, AMD, Toyota, and BP

Economic Events and Corporate Reports: Tuesday, August 4, 2026 — JOLTS, Reports from Caterpillar, Pfizer, AMD, Toyota, and BP

Tuesday, August 4, 2026, marks the most eventful corporate day at the beginning of the week in global financial markets. Investors are bracing for a heavy influx of quarterly earnings reports: before the U.S. trading session opens, results will be released by Caterpillar, Pfizer, Merck, Spotify, and Marathon Petroleum, followed by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Amgen, Booking Holdings, and Gilead Sciences after market close. The international block is equally significant, with reports due from Britain’s BP, Japan’s Toyota, and Germany’s BioNTech. The macroeconomic agenda focuses on the U.S. labor market with the release of the JOLTS data on job openings for June, a key indicator ahead of Friday’s Nonfarm Payrolls report. The day will also encompass manufacturing orders, the U.S. trade balance, and weekly oil inventory statistics from the API. For the S&P 500, Euro Stoxx 50, Nikkei 225, and the Moscow Exchange, this day will serve as a test for the resilience of July’s rally.

Key Events of the Day: A Brief Overview

• JOLTS: The number of job openings in the U.S. for June is the main macro release of the day.
• Manufacturing orders and orders for durable goods in the U.S. for June.
• The U.S. trade balance for June and weekly retail sales indicators.
• Corporate reports from the U.S.: Caterpillar, Pfizer, Merck, AMD, Amgen, Booking, Gilead, Arista Networks, Devon Energy.
• International reports: BP (UK), Toyota (Japan), BioNTech (Germany), Coupang (South Korea).
• Weekly API data on U.S. oil inventories — an evening benchmark for the commodity market.

U.S. Labor Market: JOLTS Ahead of Friday’s Payrolls

At 17:00 MSK, the JOLTS report on job openings in the U.S. economy for June will be released. This is the first significant employment indicator of the week, culminating in Friday’s Nonfarm Payrolls report for July. The rationale for investors is as follows:

1. A decline in job openings would confirm a cooling labor market and strengthen expectations for a softer Fed policy — positive for bonds and growth stocks.
2. Unexpectedly strong data, on the contrary, would support Treasury yields and the dollar, putting pressure on the tech sector.
3. The ratio of job openings to unemployed individuals remains a key metric for the Fed regarding the balance of supply and demand in the labor market.

Orders, Trade, and Consumer Demand: U.S. Statistics

Also at 17:00 MSK, manufacturing orders and final durable goods orders for June will be released — indicators of investment activity among American companies. In the morning, the U.S. trade balance for June and preliminary trade data will be published: the dynamics of imports and exports are essential for assessing the contribution of foreign trade to GDP in the third quarter. Weekly retail sales indices from ICSC and Redbook will complete the picture of the state of the American consumer.

Oil Market: API Inventories and Post-OPEC+ Sentiment

At 23:30 MSK, the American Petroleum Institute (API) will publish weekly data on oil and petroleum product inventories in the U.S. The market continues to react to the outcomes of Sunday’s meeting of the OPEC+ monitoring committee, which confirmed the plan for a gradual increase in production in September. Brent prices above $80 per barrel support stocks in the oil and gas sector — particularly relevant on Tuesday in light of reports from BP, Marathon Petroleum, Devon Energy, and Suncor.

Corporate Reports Before U.S. Market Open

The morning session is one of the busiest in the second-quarter earnings season:

• Caterpillar — a barometer of global industry: consensus expects earnings of approximately $6.20 per share (+31% year-on-year) with revenues around $19.2 billion; focus on demand for construction machinery and energy equipment for data centers.
• Pfizer and Merck — the big pharma block: dynamics of key drugs, annual forecasts and strategy amidst pricing pressures on medications in the U.S.
• Spotify — growth in subscriber numbers and streaming business margins.
• Marathon Petroleum, Energy Transfer, MPLX — refining and midstream segments amid high crack spreads.
• Duke Energy, Kimberly-Clark, Sysco, Archer-Daniels-Midland, TransDigm, Cummins, Rockwell Automation, DuPont, Apollo Global — a broad cross-section of defensive and industrial sectors within the S&P 500.

Reports After Market Close: AMD in Focus

The evening session is focused on technology and healthcare:

• Advanced Micro Devices — the main report of the day: the market expects earnings of around $1.61 per share with revenues of approximately $11.3 billion (+47% year-on-year); the key question is the sales pace of MI350 accelerators for AI data centers and projections for new MI450 chips.
• Amgen and Gilead Sciences — continuation of the pharmaceutical marathon of the day.
• Booking Holdings — an indicator of global tourist demand at the height of the summer season.
• Arista Networks — networking equipment for AI infrastructure, a beneficiary of hyper-scaler capital expenditures.
• Devon Energy, Suncor, Coterra — the oil and gas block of the evening.
• Pinterest, Match Group, Lucid, Upstart, Wynn Resorts, Toast — volatile stories in the consumer and technology segments.

Europe and Asia: BP, Toyota, and BioNTech

The international calendar for Tuesday sets a global tone:

• BP — quarterly results from the British major: buyback volume, production, and cost discipline will determine sentiment in the European oil and gas sector and the dynamics of the FTSE 100.
• Toyota Motor — report for the first quarter of the 2027 financial year: impact of U.S. tariffs on margins, hybrid sales, and yen projections — a key event for the Nikkei 225.
• BioNTech — the German biotech reports amid its transformation into an oncology company.
• Coupang — South Korea’s largest e-commerce player, an indicator of Asian consumer demand.
• Tower Semiconductor — Israeli contract chip manufacturer will round out the semiconductor agenda.

Russia and CIS Markets: A Pause Before Midweek

The corporate calendar of the Moscow Exchange on Tuesday is calm: major events are shifted to the middle and end of the week. Investors should keep an eye on:

• The anticipated financial report from Rostelecom under IFRS for the first half of 2026, due on August 5;
• The operational results of Mother and Child (MD Medical) for the second quarter, published at the beginning of the week;
• Upcoming dividend cut-offs at the end of the week, including shares of Akron;
• The dynamics of oil and the ruble following OPEC+ decisions as the primary driver for the Moscow Exchange index.

Weekly Context: From JOLTS to Nonfarm Payrolls

Tuesday serves as an intermediate link in a busy week. Ahead are announcements regarding U.S. Treasury refinancing and the ISM Services report on Wednesday, a Bank of England meeting on Thursday, and the July U.S. employment report on Friday. The JOLTS data and corporate forecasts from Tuesday will shape market positioning ahead of these key events, while the density of earnings reports makes the day one of the most volatile for individual S&P 500 stocks.

What Investors Should Pay Attention to on August 4, 2026

1. AMD’s report after market close — a key test for the semiconductor sector following July’s correction: projections for AI accelerators could set the direction for the entire Nasdaq.
2. JOLTS data — the first puzzle piece in the U.S. labor market picture ahead of Friday’s Payrolls and a benchmark for expectations regarding Fed rates.
3. Caterpillar and Cummins — the state of the global industrial cycle and demand for infrastructure related to AI energy.
4. Reports from BP and Toyota — the impact of tariffs and commodity trends on European and Japanese markets; Toyota’s results are critical for the Nikkei 225.
5. The pharma marathon of Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, and Gilead — the healthcare sector faces pricing regulation pressures: annual forecasts are crucial.
6. API oil inventories — the evening benchmark for Brent and stocks of oil and gas companies, including Russian shares on the Moscow Exchange.

Tuesday, August 4, 2026, combines peak corporate reporting density with vital U.S. labor market statistics. Investors should assess risks in semiconductor and pharmaceutical positions in advance, closely monitor management forecasts as much as the actual figures, and consider that reactions to JOLTS may be amplified by expectations surrounding Friday’s employment report.