{"id":65270,"date":"2026-07-23T08:08:19","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T12:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/corporate-earnings-beat-estimates-as-trump-links-saudi-nuclear-deal-to-abraham-accords\/65270\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T08:08:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T12:08:19","slug":"corporate-earnings-beat-estimates-as-trump-links-saudi-nuclear-deal-to-abraham-accords","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/corporate-earnings-beat-estimates-as-trump-links-saudi-nuclear-deal-to-abraham-accords\/65270\/","title":{"rendered":"Corporate Earnings Beat Estimates as Trump Links Saudi Nuclear Deal to Abraham Accords"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Ameriprise Financial (<a href=\"\/stock\/AMP\">AMP<\/a>)<\/strong> delivered a significant Q2 earnings beat with <strong>adjusted operating EPS of $11.07<\/strong>, surpassing the <strong>$10.81<\/strong> estimate, driven by record assets under management of <strong>$1.8 trillion<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Union Pacific (<a href=\"\/stock\/UNP\">UNP<\/a>)<\/strong> reported record Q2 results with <strong>operating revenue of $6.86 billion<\/strong> and <strong>adjusted EPS of $3.41<\/strong>, while raising its full-year 2026 outlook for high-single-digit earnings growth.<\/li>\n<li><strong>President Donald Trump<\/strong> clarified that a proposed <strong>civilian nuclear deal<\/strong> with Saudi Arabia is &quot;totally subject&quot; to the kingdom joining the <strong>Abraham Accords<\/strong>, adding a major diplomatic condition to the energy pact.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Alphabet (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOG\">GOOG<\/a>)<\/strong> disclosed it holds a <strong>$94 billion stake<\/strong> in <strong>SpaceX (<a href=\"\/stock\/SPCX\">SPCX<\/a>)<\/strong> following its historic IPO, though <strong>$80 billion<\/strong> of that value remains under short-term lockup restrictions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Delta Air Lines (<a href=\"\/stock\/DAL\">DAL<\/a>)<\/strong> is set to become the first U.S. carrier in 25 years to offer direct flights to Saudi Arabia, with service from <strong>Atlanta to Riyadh<\/strong> launching in October 2026.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Financial Services and Transportation Lead Earnings Beats<\/h2>\n<p>Ameriprise Financial (<a href=\"\/stock\/AMP\">AMP<\/a>) reported a robust second quarter for 2026, characterized by a <strong>22% year-over-year surge<\/strong> in adjusted operating earnings. The firm\u2019s <strong>Asset Management<\/strong> division contributed <strong>$274 million<\/strong> in pretax operating earnings, beating the <strong>$269.5 million<\/strong> consensus. Total assets under management and administration reached a record <strong>$1.8 trillion<\/strong>, fueled by strong client engagement and a <strong>14% increase<\/strong> in total assets.<\/p>\n<p>Union Pacific (<a href=\"\/stock\/UNP\">UNP<\/a>) also outperformed Wall Street expectations, posting <strong>$3.36 in diluted EPS<\/strong> (against a <strong>$3.24<\/strong> estimate) and <strong>$6.86 billion<\/strong> in revenue. The railroad operator saw a <strong>12% increase<\/strong> in freight revenue, with intermodal revenue specifically jumping to <strong>$1.39 billion<\/strong>. Despite higher fuel prices impacting the operating ratio by <strong>120 basis points<\/strong>, the company raised its 2026 guidance, citing strong execution and volume growth.<\/p>\n<h2>Geopolitical Shifts: Trump Conditions Saudi Nuclear Pact<\/h2>\n<p>In a statement released on Truth Social, <strong>President Donald Trump<\/strong> addressed the ongoing negotiations for a <strong>Civilian Nuclear Deal<\/strong> between the U.S. Department of Energy and Saudi Arabia. Trump emphasized that while the U.S. is not opposed to non-enriched civil nuclear facilities, the approval of such a deal is contingent upon Saudi Arabia joining the <strong>Abraham Accords<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>This development follows reports that the administration had initially pursued the nuclear pact as a separate track from Israel-Saudi normalization. The deal, which includes a <strong>Section 123 agreement<\/strong>, aims to provide U.S. nuclear technology to the kingdom for non-military use. However, the requirement for normalization adds a complex layer of regional diplomacy that could impact defense and engineering sectors, including companies like GE Aerospace (<a href=\"\/stock\/GE\">GE<\/a>).<\/p>\n<h2>Tech and Aviation: SpaceX Valuations and New Middle East Routes<\/h2>\n<p>Alphabet (<a href=\"\/stock\/GOOG\">GOOG<\/a>) revealed the scale of its long-term investment in <strong>SpaceX (<a href=\"\/stock\/SPCX\">SPCX<\/a>)<\/strong>, marking its interest at <strong>$94 billion<\/strong> following the rocket manufacturer&#39;s record-breaking June IPO. While the position represents one of the most successful strategic investments in corporate history, Alphabet noted that <strong>$80 billion<\/strong> is currently restricted by short-term lockup agreements. This disclosure comes as SpaceX shares face volatility ahead of a major lockup expiration in August.<\/p>\n<p>In the aviation sector, Delta Air Lines (<a href=\"\/stock\/DAL\">DAL<\/a>) is preparing for a strategic expansion into the Middle East. Starting <strong>October 23, 2026<\/strong>, the airline will operate three-times-weekly flights between <strong>Atlanta and Riyadh<\/strong> using Airbus A350-900 aircraft. This move marks a significant shift in Delta&#39;s strategy, as it deepens ties with <strong>Riyadh Air<\/strong> and seeks to capitalize on Saudi Arabia&#39;s &quot;Vision 2030&quot; tourism and economic diversification goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Ameriprise Financial (AMP) delivered a significant Q2 earnings beat with adjusted operating EPS of $11.07, surpassing the $10.81 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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