{"id":65717,"date":"2026-07-31T02:38:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T06:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-update-apple-shares-slump-on-weak-outlook-bp-exits-north-sea-and-boj-monitors-earthquake-impact\/65717\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T02:38:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T06:38:15","slug":"global-markets-update-apple-shares-slump-on-weak-outlook-bp-exits-north-sea-and-boj-monitors-earthquake-impact","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.stockmarketwatch.com\/stock-market-news\/global-markets-update-apple-shares-slump-on-weak-outlook-bp-exits-north-sea-and-boj-monitors-earthquake-impact\/65717\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Markets Update: Apple Shares Slump on Weak Outlook, BP Exits North Sea, and BOJ Monitors Earthquake Impact"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>) shares fell 6.3%<\/strong> in early trading after the company issued a disappointing quarterly sales outlook, forecasting growth of <strong>9% to 11%<\/strong> against analyst expectations of <strong>12%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>BP (<a href=\"\/stock\/BP\">BP<\/a>) has officially launched the sale of its North Sea business<\/strong>, marking the end of over 60 years of production in the region as it shifts capital toward higher-value global opportunities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>NatWest (<a href=\"\/stock\/NWG\">NWG<\/a>) reported a Q2 pretax operating profit of \u00a32.29 billion<\/strong>, significantly beating analyst estimates of <strong>\u00a32.01 billion<\/strong>, and raised its return on tangible equity (ROTE) forecast for 2026 to <strong>19%<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Bank of Japan (BOJ)<\/strong> maintained interest rates at <strong>1.0%<\/strong> while Governor Kazuo Ueda confirmed the bank is assessing the economic fallout from the recent <strong>magnitude 7.1 Kumamoto earthquake<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>UK house price growth slowed to 1.8% year-on-year in July<\/strong>, down from <strong>2.2%<\/strong> in June, as high interest rates and geopolitical tensions continue to dampen market activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Tech and AI Infrastructure<\/h2>\n<p>Apple (<a href=\"\/stock\/AAPL\">AAPL<\/a>) faced significant selling pressure on Friday after its fiscal third-quarter results, despite reporting a <strong>16% rise in total sales to $109.4 billion<\/strong>. Investors were spooked by management&#39;s cautious guidance for the September quarter, which suggests a deceleration in revenue growth. The earnings call also marked the final appearance of <strong>CEO Tim Cook<\/strong> before <strong>John Ternus<\/strong> takes over the role on September 1.<\/p>\n<p>In the semiconductor space, Foxconn (<a href=\"\/stock\/2317\">2317<\/a>) announced that its <strong>VisionBay.ai<\/strong> unit has unveiled a <strong>5MW AI cluster in Taiwan<\/strong>. The facility utilizes <strong>NVIDIA (<a href=\"\/stock\/NVDA\">NVDA<\/a>) HGX B300 systems<\/strong>, positioning Foxconn as a critical infrastructure provider for the next generation of AI supercomputing. The company plans to scale this into Taiwan&#39;s largest GPU cluster by the first half of 2026.<\/p>\n<h2>Energy and Commodities<\/h2>\n<p>BP (<a href=\"\/stock\/BP\">BP<\/a>) has begun marketing its entire North Sea portfolio, a move that includes five major production hubs and affects approximately <strong>1,100 employees<\/strong>. Chief Executive <strong>Meg O&#39;Neill<\/strong> stated that while the UK remains the company&#39;s home, the North Sea assets would be &quot;better positioned as part of another company&quot; as BP focuses on more resilient, high-margin assets.<\/p>\n<p>UK Energy Minister <strong>Miatta Fahnbulleh<\/strong> responded to the news by emphasizing that the government will take a <strong>&quot;pragmatic approach&quot;<\/strong> to the North Sea&#39;s future. While the administration remains committed to its green energy transition, Fahnbulleh noted that oil and gas will continue to play a vital role in the UK&#39;s energy mix for years to come.<\/p>\n<p>In a tragic development for the mining sector, a methane gas explosion at a coal mine in <strong>Balochistan, Pakistan<\/strong>, has killed at least <strong>34 workers<\/strong>. Rescue operations are ongoing, but officials fear the death toll could rise as several miners remain trapped in inaccessible sections of the mine.<\/p>\n<h2>Financials and Aviation<\/h2>\n<p>NatWest (<a href=\"\/stock\/NWG\">NWG<\/a>) delivered a robust set of H1 2026 earnings, characterized by a <strong>\u00a32.29 billion Q2 profit<\/strong> and a maintained dividend payout of roughly <strong>50% of attributable profit<\/strong>. The bank&#39;s optimistic 2026 ROTE outlook of <strong>19%<\/strong> suggests confidence in its ability to navigate the current interest rate environment and manage impairment charges, which stood at <strong>\u00a3280 million<\/strong> for the half.<\/p>\n<p>International Airlines Group (<a href=\"\/stock\/IAG\">IAG<\/a>), the parent company of British Airways, reported Q2 revenue of <strong>\u20ac8.88 billion<\/strong>, slightly missing the <strong>\u20ac9.24 billion<\/strong> estimate. Despite the revenue miss, adjusted operating profit came in at <strong>\u20ac1.41 billion<\/strong>, beating expectations of <strong>\u20ac1.35 billion<\/strong>, supported by a healthy <strong>85.6% seat load factor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Global Economic Indicators<\/h2>\n<p>The Bank of Japan kept its benchmark rate steady at <strong>1.0%<\/strong> following its June hike. Governor <strong>Kazuo Ueda<\/strong> highlighted that the central bank is closely monitoring the impact of the <strong>Kumamoto earthquake<\/strong> on regional semiconductor and automotive supply chains. The BOJ remains hawkish, indicating that further rate adjustments are possible if inflation and economic activity align with their long-term forecasts.<\/p>\n<p>In Europe, <strong>Switzerland&#39;s June retail sales<\/strong> grew by a modest <strong>1.5% year-on-year<\/strong>, a sharp slowdown from the <strong>3.4%<\/strong> growth recorded in May. Meanwhile, <strong>Norway&#39;s unemployment rate<\/strong> ticked up to <strong>2.1% in July<\/strong>, reflecting a slight cooling in the Nordic labor market.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Takeaways Apple (AAPL) shares fell 6.3% in early trading after the company issued a disappointing quarterly sales outlook, forecasting 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