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

Tuesday, August 4, 2026, will be the most eventful day of the week for corporate happenings in the global financial markets. Investors are bracing for a heavy flow of quarterly reports: before the US market opens, Caterpillar, Pfizer, Merck, Spotify, and Marathon Petroleum will release their results, while Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Amgen, Booking Holdings, and Gilead Sciences will report after the market closes. The international block is equally significant, with reports from British BP, Japanese Toyota, and German BioNTech. The macroeconomic agenda is focused on the US labor market, as the JOLTS report on job openings for June is set to be released, serving as a key indicator ahead of the Nonfarm Payrolls report on Friday. Additionally, June's factory orders, the US trade balance, and weekly oil inventory data from API will complement the economic landscape. This day will serve as a test for the sustainability of the July rally for the S&P 500, Euro Stoxx 50, Nikkei 225, and Moscow Exchange indices.

Key Events of the Day: Brief Overview

JOLTS: Job openings in the US for June — the main macro release of the day.
Factory orders and durable goods orders in the US for June.
US trade balance for June and weekly retail sales indicators.
Corporate reports in the US: 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 US oil inventories — an evening indicator for the commodity market.

US Labor Market: JOLTS Ahead of Friday's Payrolls

At 5:00 PM Moscow time, the JOLTS report on job openings in the US for June will be released. This is the first significant employment indicator in a week culminating in Friday's Nonfarm Payrolls report for July. The logic for investors is straightforward:

A decline in job openings will confirm a cooling labor market, reinforcing expectations of a more dovish Fed policy — positive for bonds and growth stocks.
Unexpectedly strong data, on the other hand, would support Treasury yields and the dollar, putting pressure on the technology sector.
The ratio of job openings to unemployed remains a key metric for the Fed, balancing supply and demand in the labor market.

Orders, Trade, and Consumer Demand: US Statistics

Also at 5:00 PM Moscow time, factory orders and final durable goods orders for June will be released — indicators of investment activity among US companies. In the morning, the US 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 for the third quarter. Weekly retail sales indexes from ICSC and Redbook will further illuminate the state of the American consumer.

Oil Market: API Inventories and the Aftermath of OPEC+

At 11:30 PM Moscow time, the American Petroleum Institute (API) will publish weekly data on US oil and petroleum product inventories. The market continues to respond to the results of the OPEC+ monitoring committee meeting held on Sunday, which reaffirmed a phased increase in production set for September. Brent prices above $80 per barrel are supporting the oil and gas sector, particularly relevant ahead of reports from BP, Marathon Petroleum, Devon Energy, and Suncor.

Corporate Reports Before the Market Opens in the US

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

Caterpillar — a barometer of global industry: consensus estimates profit of around $6.20 per share (+31% year-over-year) with revenue of approximately $19.2 billion; focus will be on demand for construction equipment and energy gear for data centers.
Pfizer and Merck — a block of major pharmaceuticals: dynamics of key drugs, forecasts for the year, and strategies amid pricing pressures on drugs in the US.
Spotify — growth in subscriber numbers and streaming business margins.
Marathon Petroleum, Energy Transfer, MPLX — refining and midstream segments benefiting from high crack margins.
Duke Energy, Kimberly-Clark, Sysco, Archer-Daniels-Midland, TransDigm, Cummins, Rockwell Automation, DuPont, Apollo Global — a broad slice of the defensive and industrial sectors of the S&P 500.

Reports After Market Close: AMD in Focus

The evening session will concentrate on technology and healthcare:

Advanced Micro Devices — the standout report of the day: the market anticipates earnings around $1.61 per share with revenue of approximately $11.3 billion (+47% year-over-year); the key question will revolve around sales rates of MI350 accelerators for AI data centers and forecasts for new MI450 chips.
Amgen and Gilead Sciences — a continuation of the day's pharmaceutical marathon.
Booking Holdings — an indicator of global travel demand during the peak summer season.
Arista Networks — networking equipment for AI infrastructure, benefiting from capital expenditures by hyperscalers.
Devon Energy, Suncor, Coterra — the oil and gas segment of the evening.
Pinterest, Match Group, Lucid, Upstart, Wynn Resorts, Toast — volatile stories from 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: share buyback volume, production levels, and cost discipline will dictate 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: the impact of American tariffs on margins, hybrid sales, and forecasts for the yen — a key event for the Nikkei 225.
BioNTech — the German biotech firm reports amid a transformation into an oncology company.
Coupang — the largest e-commerce player in South Korea, an indicator of Asian consumer demand.
Tower Semiconductor — the Israeli contract chip manufacturer will complement the semiconductor agenda.

Russia and the CIS Markets: A Pause Before Midweek

The corporate calendar for the Moscow Exchange on Tuesday is calm: key events are shifted to mid and late week. Investors should keep an eye on:

the expected financial results from Rostelecom for the first half of 2026, scheduled for August 5;
operational results from MD Medical for the second quarter, to be published early in the week;
upcoming dividend cuts at the end of the week, including Akron shares;
the dynamics of oil and the ruble following OPEC+ decisions as the main driver for the Moscow Exchange index.

Context of the Week: From JOLTS to Nonfarm Payrolls

Tuesday serves as an intermediary link in a busy week. Ahead lie announcements regarding US Treasury refinancing and ISM Services on Wednesday, a Bank of England meeting on Thursday, and the July US 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 reports makes the day one of the most volatile for individual S&P 500 stocks.

What Investors Should Focus on August 4, 2026

AMD report after close — a major test for the semiconductor sector following the July correction: projections for AI accelerators could set the direction for the entire Nasdaq.
JOLTS data — the first puzzle piece of the US labor market picture ahead of Friday's Payrolls and a guiding metric for Fed rate expectations.
Caterpillar and Cummins — the state of the global industrial cycle and demand for infrastructure in AI energy.
Reports from BP and Toyota — the impact of tariffs and commodity conditions on European and Japanese markets; Toyota's results are critical for the Nikkei 225.
Pharmaceutical marathon including Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, Gilead — the healthcare sector faces pricing regulatory pressures: annual forecasts are crucial.
API oil inventories — an evening indicator for Brent and shares of oil and gas companies, including Russian stocks on the Moscow Exchange.

Tuesday, August 4, 2026, combines peak corporate reporting density with significant US labor market statistics. Investors should assess risks in semiconductor and pharmaceutical positions in advance, monitor management forecasts just as closely as actual figures, and consider that reactions to JOLTS data could be amplified by expectations surrounding Friday's employment report.