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

Tuesday, August 4, 2026, is set to be the most event-filled day at the start of the week on global financial markets. Investors can anticipate a busy stream of quarterly reports: before the market opens in the U.S., results will be released by Caterpillar, Pfizer, Merck, Spotify, and Marathon Petroleum, while after the market closes, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Amgen, Booking Holdings, and Gilead Sciences will report. The international sector is equally significant, with British BP, Japanese Toyota, and German BioNTech also scheduled to report. The macroeconomic agenda focuses on the U.S. labor market — the JOLTS report on job openings for June will be released, a key indicator ahead of Friday's Nonfarm Payrolls report. The day's events will serve as a test for the resilience of the July rally for the S&P 500, Euro Stoxx 50, Nikkei 225, and Moscow Exchange indices.

Key Events of the Day: A Brief Overview

JOLTS: U.S. job openings for June — the main macro release of the day.
Manufacturing orders and durable goods orders in the U.S. for June.
U.S. trade balance for June and weekly retail sales indicators.
Corporate reports in 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 crude oil inventory data — an evening reference point for the commodity market.

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

At 5:00 PM MSK, the JOLTS report on job openings in the U.S. economy for June will be published. This is the first significant employment indicator of a week culminating in the Friday's Nonfarm Payrolls report. The logic for investors is straightforward:

A decrease in job openings would confirm the cooling of the labor market and strengthen expectations for 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, applying pressure to the technology sector.
The job openings-to-unemployed ratio remains a key metric for the Fed in balancing supply and demand in the labor market.

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

Also at 5:00 PM MSK, manufacturing orders and final durable goods orders for June will be released — indicators of the investment activity of American companies. The morning will feature the release of the U.S. trade balance for June and preliminary trade data: the dynamics of imports and exports are crucial for assessing the contribution of foreign trade to GDP in the third quarter. Weekly retail sales indexes from ICSC and Redbook will complement the picture of the American consumer's status.

Oil Market: API Inventories and the Aftermath of OPEC+

At 11:30 PM MSK, the American Petroleum Institute (API) will publish weekly data on crude oil and petroleum products inventories in the U.S. The market continues to react to the outcomes of the Sunday meeting of the OPEC+ monitoring committee, which reaffirmed the plan to gradually increase production in September. Brent prices above $80 per barrel support the shares of the oil and gas sector — particularly relevant on Tuesday in light of the reports from BP, Marathon Petroleum, Devon Energy, and Suncor.

Corporate Reports Before U.S. Market Opens

The morning session is one of the most densely packed during the second-quarter earnings season:

Caterpillar — a barometer of the global manufacturing industry: consensus expects earnings of around $6.20 per share (+31% year-over-year) on revenues of about $19.2 billion; focus will be on demand for construction machinery and energy equipment for data centers.
Pfizer and Merck — the big pharma sector: dynamics of key drugs, annual forecasts, and strategies under U.S. drug pricing pressure.
Spotify — growth in subscriber numbers and margins in the streaming business.
Marathon Petroleum, Energy Transfer, MPLX — refining and midstream segments in light of high crack margins.
Duke Energy, Kimberly-Clark, Sysco, Archer-Daniels-Midland, TransDigm, Cummins, Rockwell Automation, DuPont, Apollo Global — a broad overview of the defensive and industrial sectors within the S&P 500.

Reports After Market Close: AMD in the Spotlight

The evening session focuses on technology and healthcare:

Advanced Micro Devices — the key report of the day: the market expects earnings of around $1.61 per share on revenues of about $11.3 billion (+47% year-over-year); a key question will be the sales pace of MI350 accelerators for AI data centers and the outlook for the new MI450 chips.
Amgen and Gilead Sciences — a continuation of the pharmaceutical marathon of the day.
Booking Holdings — an indicator of global tourism demand during the peak of 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, and cost discipline will define sentiment in the European oil and gas sector and the dynamics of the FTSE 100.
Toyota Motor — Q1 report for the 2027 financial year: the impact of U.S. tariffs on margins, hybrid sales, and a forecast for the yen — a key event for the Nikkei 225.
BioNTech — the German biotech company reports against the backdrop of 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 add to the semiconductor agenda.

Russia and CIS Markets: A Pause Before Midweek

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

the upcoming report from Rostelecom on IFRS for the first half of 2026, expected on August 5;
operational results from MD Medical for Q2, announced at the beginning of the week;
upcoming dividend cuts at the end of the week, including shares of Akron;
the dynamics of oil and the ruble following OPEC+ decisions as a key driver for the Moscow Exchange index.

Context of the Week: From JOLTS to Nonfarm Payrolls

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

What Investors Should Note on August 4, 2026

AMD's report after market close — a major test for the semiconductor sector after July's correction: the forecast for AI accelerators could set the direction for the entire Nasdaq.
JOLTS data — the first piece of the U.S. labor market picture ahead of Friday's Payrolls and a guide for Fed rate expectations.
Caterpillar and Cummins — the state of the global industrial cycle and demand for AI-energy infrastructure.
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.
Pharma marathon with Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, Gilead — the healthcare sector under pricing regulation pressure: annual forecasts are crucial.
API oil inventories — an evening reference 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 U.S. labor market statistics. Investors should proactively assess risks in semiconductor and pharma positions, closely monitor management forecasts as attentively as actual numbers, and keep in mind that the reaction to JOLTS may be amplified by the anticipation of Friday's employment report.