{"id":65339,"date":"2026-07-24T09:08:18","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T13:08:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-pre-market-intel-surges-on-ai-demand-while-bp-nears-solar-exit\/65339\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T09:08:18","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T13:08:18","slug":"us-pre-market-intel-surges-on-ai-demand-while-bp-nears-solar-exit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/us-pre-market-intel-surges-on-ai-demand-while-bp-nears-solar-exit\/65339\/","title":{"rendered":"US Pre-Market: Intel Surges on AI Demand While BP Nears Solar Exit"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Intel (<a href=\"\/stock\/INTC\">INTC<\/a>)<\/strong> surged <strong>+2.9%<\/strong> in <a href=\"https:\/\/stockmarketwatch.com\/movers\/premarket\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Premarket Movers\">pre-market trading<\/a> after reporting its strongest revenue growth in 15 years, driven by a <strong>59%<\/strong> year-over-year jump in its Data Center and AI Group.<\/li>\n<li><strong>BP (<a href=\"\/stock\/BP\">BP<\/a>)<\/strong> is in advanced negotiations to sell its solar subsidiary, <strong>Lightsource BP<\/strong>, to a consortium including <strong>Qualitas Energy<\/strong> and Kuwait\u2019s <strong>Wren House<\/strong>, aiming to offload several billion dollars in debt.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Oracle (<a href=\"\/stock\/ORCL\">ORCL<\/a>)<\/strong> secured a major <strong>$3.31 billion<\/strong> five-year software contract with the <strong>U.S. Navy<\/strong>, which includes options to expand the total value to <strong>$7 billion<\/strong> over a decade.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Charter Communications (<a href=\"\/stock\/CHTR\">CHTR<\/a>)<\/strong> shares tumbled <strong>-8.8%<\/strong> following a larger-than-expected loss of <strong>172,000<\/strong> broadband customers in Q2, as competition from fixed wireless and satellite services intensifies.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tenet Healthcare (<a href=\"\/stock\/THC\">THC<\/a>)<\/strong> shares skyrocketed <strong>+17%<\/strong> after the company beat earnings estimates and raised its full-year <strong>Adjusted EBITDA<\/strong> guidance to a midpoint of <strong>$4.93 billion<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Tech and Defense: Intel and Oracle Lead Gains<\/h2>\n<p>Intel (<a href=\"\/stock\/INTC\">INTC<\/a>) provided a significant boost to the semiconductor sector, reporting Q2 revenue of <strong>$16.1 billion<\/strong>, a <strong>25%<\/strong> increase year-over-year. CEO Lip-Bu Tan highlighted that demand for AI-driven compute is currently outstripping supply, prompting the company to raise its <strong>2026 capital spending<\/strong> guidance to over <strong>$20 billion<\/strong>. The company\u2019s non-GAAP EPS of <strong>$0.42<\/strong> nearly doubled analyst estimates of <strong>$0.22<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Oracle (<a href=\"\/stock\/ORCL\">ORCL<\/a>) rose <strong>+2.0%<\/strong> on news of a massive enterprise software agreement with the <strong>U.S. Department of War<\/strong>, negotiated by the <strong>U.S. Navy<\/strong>. The deal consolidates fragmented software procurement into a single award, projected to save taxpayers at least <strong>$441 million<\/strong>. The contract initially covers a five-year base period but could reach <strong>$6.99 billion<\/strong> if all options are exercised.<\/p>\n<h2>Energy and Industrials: BP Divestment and SLB Beat<\/h2>\n<p>BP (<a href=\"\/stock\/BP\">BP<\/a>) is nearing a deal to exit its solar business, <strong>Lightsource BP<\/strong>, as part of a strategic shift to strengthen its balance sheet. The sale to <strong>Qualitas Energy<\/strong> and the <strong>Kuwait Investment Authority&#39;s<\/strong> infrastructure arm, <strong>Wren House<\/strong>, is primarily focused on transferring the unit&#39;s substantial debt burden. <em>Analysts suggest the move is critical for BP to meet its goal of reducing net debt to $18 billion by late 2025.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Schlumberger (<a href=\"\/stock\/SLB\">SLB<\/a>) shares gained <strong>+3.4%<\/strong> after reporting Q2 revenue of <strong>$8.97 billion<\/strong>, beating the consensus of <strong>$8.67 billion<\/strong>. The oilfield services giant saw a <strong>5%<\/strong> year-over-year revenue increase, supported by robust international offshore activity. Adjusted EPS came in at <strong>$0.55<\/strong>, outperforming the <strong>$0.51<\/strong> expected by Wall Street.<\/p>\n<h2>Consumer and Telecom: Mixed Results for AXP, VZ, and CHTR<\/h2>\n<p>American Express (<a href=\"\/stock\/AXP\">AXP<\/a>) fell <strong>-3.3%<\/strong> despite beating earnings expectations, as investors focused on a slight revenue miss and a slowdown in network volume growth. While the company raised its full-year revenue growth guidance to <strong>10%<\/strong>, Q2 revenue of <strong>$19.6 billion<\/strong> trailed the <strong>$19.7 billion<\/strong> consensus. <em>The dip reflects market concerns over cooling consumer spending despite solid credit quality.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Verizon (<a href=\"\/stock\/VZ\">VZ<\/a>) dropped <strong>-1.3%<\/strong> after reporting a revenue miss, with sales remaining flat year-over-year at <strong>$34.25 billion<\/strong>. Although the telecom giant beat profit estimates with an adjusted EPS of <strong>$1.30<\/strong>, the stagnation in top-line growth overshadowed a raised full-year guidance and an expanded <strong>$4.5 billion<\/strong> share buyback target.<\/p>\n<p>Charter Communications (<a href=\"\/stock\/CHTR\">CHTR<\/a>) faced the steepest decline, falling <strong>-8.8%<\/strong>. The company reported a loss of <strong>172,000<\/strong> internet customers, far worse than the <strong>72,000<\/strong> loss analysts had projected. <em>The results highlight the growing pressure on traditional cable providers from high-speed 5G home internet and satellite providers like Starlink.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Healthcare and Software: THC and SAP Momentum<\/h2>\n<p>Tenet Healthcare (<a href=\"\/stock\/THC\">THC<\/a>) was the standout performer, surging <strong>+17%<\/strong> on a massive earnings beat. The hospital operator reported adjusted diluted EPS of <strong>$6.12<\/strong>, a <strong>52.2%<\/strong> increase from the previous year. Management also authorized a <strong>$2.0 billion<\/strong> increase to its share repurchase program, signaling strong confidence in its cash flow outlook.<\/p>\n<p>SAP (<a href=\"\/stock\/SAP\">SAP<\/a>) climbed <strong>+5.6%<\/strong> as its cloud transformation continues to pay off. The German software firm reported a <strong>27%<\/strong> jump in its current cloud backlog to <strong>\u20ac22.9 billion<\/strong>. While total revenue of <strong>\u20ac9.9 billion<\/strong> was slightly below some estimates, the strong momentum in <strong>Cloud ERP Suite<\/strong> revenue, which grew <strong>25%<\/strong>, reassured investors of the company&#39;s AI-driven growth trajectory.<\/p>\n<p>Edwards Lifesciences (<a href=\"\/stock\/EW\">EW<\/a>) also saw a <strong>+6.8%<\/strong> rise after its Q2 results topped expectations. The company benefited from strong demand for its <strong>TAVR<\/strong> (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement) devices and subsequently raised its full-year sales guidance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Intel (INTC) surged +2.9% in pre-market trading after reporting its strongest revenue growth in 15 years, driven by 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