The hour was dominated by a heavy wave of Q2 earnings reports, with Intel stock jumping 12 percent on surging AI and data center revenue highlighting the market’s fixation on infrastructure scale. This theme of massive AI investment continued as banks entered negotiations for a 15 billion dollar loan to finance an Anthropic data center, while Amazon’s Zoox secured clearance for paid robotaxi operations. Amidst these results, broader market sentiment remains pressured by diesel supply concerns and reduced global refinery runs. Geopolitical friction persisted, with the U.S. conducting strikes against Iranian assets and implementing new sanctions on shipping networks facilitating oil sales. Additionally, labor market stability was reinforced by historically low weekly jobless claims, even as consumer-facing retailers like Jersey Mike’s struggled in their public market debuts.