Today is Thursday, July 30, 2026.

The Early Bird Index today is 78.98.

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Facebook parent Meta Platforms $META ( ▼ 1.31% ) fell 7.45% in after-hours trading on Wednesday after reporting mixed financial results and raising its capital expenditures floor by $5 billion to $130 billion.

Financials: Meta reported earnings of $6.18 per share in the past quarter, below expectations. Revenue reached $60.8 billion, exceeding expectations.

Early Bird’s Nest Egg Gains: Meta is raising the floor because its AI infrastructure buildout is proving more expensive and more urgent than it expected, so management now needs to commit to at least that level of spending.

Final Thoughts: Meta’s bad 2026 continues. The stock was already down nearly 10% this year.

For the first time in history, the U.S. government forced a leading AI company to pull its most powerful model offline. No court. No warning. One letter on a Friday afternoon, and the most advanced AI on Earth went dark within hours.

It happened in a single weekend. And it happened just as the most hyped AI IPO wave of the decade was taking shape.

That timing is not a coincidence worth ignoring. When Washington can switch off a frontier model overnight, it changes who wins, who loses, and what every one of these filings is really worth.

Most investors will chase the hype and find out the hard way. Our free briefing breaks down what the shutdown signals and the risk buried in the filings — before pricing is announced, not after.

Read the Free Briefing

Notable Earnings Today: Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN), Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), Coinbase Global (Nasdaq: COIN), Mastercard (NYSE: MA), Roblox (NYSE: RBLX), Rivian Automotive (Nasdaq: RIVN), Live Nation (NYSE: LYV), Reddit (NYSE: RDDT), The Cigna Group (NYSE: CI), Altria (NYSE: MO), Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO), MasTec (NYSE: MTZ), Strategy (Nasdaq: MSTR), Labcorp Holdings (NYSE: LH), Quanta Services (NYSE: PWR), Diamondrock Hospitality (Nasdaq: DRH), Huntsman (NYSE: HUN), Air Products (NYSE: APD), Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALNY), American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP), ArcelorMittal (NYSE: MT), Arthur J. Gallagher (NYSE: AJG), Carpenter Technology (NYSE: CRS), Corteva (NYSE: CTVA), CRH (NYSE: CRH), Dexcom (Nasdaq: DXCM), Edison International (NYSE: EIX), EMCOR Group (NYSE: EME), Enterprise Products (NYSE: EPD), Eversource Energy (NYSE: ES), Hershey Foods (NYSE: HSY), Illumina (Nasdaq: ILMN), Ingersoll-Rand (NYSE: IR), Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), KKR (NYSE: KKR), LPL Financial (Nasdaq: LPLA), Martin Marietta (NYSE: MLM), Mettler-Toledo (NYSE: MTD), Monolithic Power (Nasdaq: MPWR), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: REGN), Southern Company (NYSE: SO), Stryker (NYSE: SYK), TC Energy (NYSE: TRP), TechnipFMC (NYSE: FTI), Trane (NYSE: TT), Xcel Energy (Nasdaq: XEL).

Notable IPOs Today: Jersey Mike's Subs Inc. (NYSE: JMKE), Reformation Inc. (NYSE: REF), Game Your Game, Inc. Common Stock (Nasdaq: GYGY), Private Bancorp of America, Inc. Common Stock (Nasdaq: PBAM), East West Ave Acquisition Corp. Units (Nasdaq: EWAVU), Snow Rothschild Acquisition Corp. Class A Ordinary Shares (Nasdaq: ISNR).

Notable Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns Ending Today: Alpha 311 Ltd (Honeycomb Credit).

Notable Economic Events Today: GDP (8:30 a.m. ET), Core PCE Price Index / PCE Price Index (8:30 a.m. ET), Jobless Claims (8:30 a.m. ET), Personal Spending (8:30 a.m. ET).

Microsoft $MSFT ( ▼ 0.71% ) jumped 8.88% in after-hours trading on Wednesday after reporting strong financial results that included Azure’s annual revenue surpassing $100 billion for the first time.

Financials: Microsoft reported earnings of $4.74 per share in the past quarter and revenue of $90 billion. Both were better than expected.

Final Thoughts: Microsoft eyes a comeback after the stock started the year with a 17% drop.

Despite posting mixed financial earnings results on Wednesday, Chipotle Mexican Grill $CMG ( ▲ 2.18% ) jumped 6.34% in after-hours trading. The fast casual restaurant chain raised its comparable sales outlook for the year.

Financials: Chipotle reported earnings of 33 cents per share in the past quarter, which were better than expected. But revenue was just $3.3 billion, which was lower than expected.

Final Thoughts: Chipotle investors finally have something to cheer about after starting 2026 down 8%.

Fed Inflation Dispute: Fed holds interest rates steady after cliffhanger meeting, but three officials dissent (CNN)

Ethereum’s Future: As crypto perpetual futures boom, Ethereum’s role is shifting (CoinDesk)

Few Winners: Crypto entering biggest consolidation phase in history, says ARK analyst (Cointelegraph)

Coffee Momentum: Starbucks stock jumps as coffee giant raises full-year outlook (CNBC)

Predicting Good Things: Robinhood CFO details surging prediction market business as firm posts record revenue in Q2 (Fortune)

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_{The contents of Early Bird are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. They do not constitute trade or investment recommendations, and they are not financial or legal advice. Readers are encouraged to consult licensed professionals for personalized guidance regarding their financial or legal situations.}