This article was written by

Follow

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Boeing shares climbed Tuesday, rising 3.75% to $219.44, after the aerospace giant reported second-quarter revenue that beat Wall Street expectations and delivered positive free cash flow, a milestone investors have been closely watching as a key signal of the company’s ongoing financial recovery.

The stock added $7.94 in trading following Boeing’s earnings release before the market opened, with the gains driven primarily by the company’s own results rather than a broader market tailwind.

Revenue Beat, But Losses Widened on Air Force One Charges

Boeing posted second-quarter 2026 revenue of $24.6 billion, surpassing analyst expectations of roughly $23.95 billion, with sales up 8% year over year. Despite that revenue strength, the company’s bottom-line results missed expectations, driven largely by costs tied to a long-troubled government program. The core loss per share of $0.76 missed consensus estimates, weighed down by a $280 million charge tied to higher engineering costs on the Air Force One replacement program, though the loss was still significantly narrower than the $1.24 per share the company recorded during the same quarter a year earlier.

Cash Flow Turns Positive, a Milestone for the Turnaround

Perhaps the most closely watched figure in Tuesday’s report was Boeing’s cash generation, an area that has weighed heavily on the stock throughout its multiyear recovery effort. The company generated positive free cash flow of $0.6 billion and operating cash flow of $1.4 billion during the quarter, a milestone investors had been closely watching as a key indicator of financial recovery.

CEO Emphasizes Stability and Trust

Boeing President and Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg framed the quarter’s results as evidence of the company’s ongoing operational turnaround. “Our operations are more stable and key certification programs remain on plan,” Ortberg said. “Our focus has been on restoring trust and we are now building on that through a sustained focus on safety, quality, and on-time performance.”

Ortberg also addressed the Air Force One program specifically in a note to staff, acknowledging the continued challenges even as the company increases its investment in the effort. “While we’re making progress on our development programs, you’re never done until you’re done,” Ortberg said, adding in a separate interview with CNBC that the Air Force One program has moved through its design phase, with the company still targeting first delivery in 2028.

Delivery Growth and an FAA Milestone

Boeing’s operational performance showed clear improvement during the quarter, with commercial aircraft deliveries climbing meaningfully compared with the prior year. Boeing delivered 171 commercial aircraft during the quarter, up from 150 in the second quarter of 2025, while the 737 program began transitioning its production rate toward 47 aircraft per month and completed certification flight testing on both the 737-7 and 737-10 variants.

A significant regulatory milestone also cleared just before the earnings release, removing what had been a persistent operational bottleneck for the company. Effective July 20, 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration restored Boeing’s authority to issue final airworthiness certificates for all newly built 737 MAX and 787 jets, a change that is expected to accelerate delivery velocity and cash conversion going forward.

A Regulatory Headwind Capped Further Gains

Not all of Tuesday’s news was favorable for Boeing, with a separate regulatory issue emerging just before the earnings report that likely tempered the stock’s upside. The FAA had proposed an airworthiness directive the day before covering 453 Boeing 737 MAX jets over improperly installed seats, a development that likely capped the stock’s upside reaction to the otherwise constructive earnings release.

A Backlog That Dwarfs the Company’s Market Value

Boeing’s order backlog remains one of the most closely watched aspects of its long-term investment case, and it continued to grow heading into the earnings report. Commercial commitments, including massive orders from SMBC Aviation Capital for 100 jets, along with orders from Riyadh Air, Philippine Airlines and AerCap, have expanded Boeing’s total backlog to roughly $695 billion, a figure that dwarfs the company’s current market capitalization and significantly exceeds the backlogs of defense rivals Lockheed Martin and RTX Corporation, at $230 billion and $289 billion, respectively.

Strength Extends Into Boeing’s Defense Business

Beyond its commercial aircraft segment, Boeing’s defense and space operations also showed notable improvement during the period, benefiting from a broader increase in U.S. military spending. Defense, Space and Security revenue jumped 21% to $7.599 billion, with operating earnings up 50% to $233 million, supported in part by rising defense budgets that included a jump in Patriot missile seeker production to 850 units in 2026, up from 650 the year before.

Full-Year Cash Flow Guidance

Looking ahead, Boeing offered updated projections for its cash generation over the remainder of the year, giving investors a clearer sense of the pace of the company’s expected recovery. Boeing said it expects 2026 operating cash flow of about $5 billion to $7 billion and free cash flow of about $1 billion to $3 billion.

Wall Street Remains Bullish

Heading into and following Tuesday’s report, analyst sentiment on Boeing stock has remained overwhelmingly positive, with the vast majority of coverage recommending purchase. Wall Street maintains a Strong Buy consensus rating on the stock, based on 21 of 28 analysts recommending purchase against just a handful of hold or sell ratings, with a consensus price target of $270 implying roughly 29% upside from recent trading levels, even though the stock remains well below its 52-week high of $254.35.

With Boeing executives holding a call with analysts at 10:30 a.m. Eastern time Tuesday, investors are expected to press management further on the certification timeline for the 737 MAX 10 and the 777X, Boeing’s new wide-body aircraft, along with additional detail on how the newly restored FAA certification authority will affect delivery pace in the coming quarters. Given the scale of Boeing’s backlog and the positive cash flow milestone reached this quarter, the coming months are likely to serve as an important test of whether the company’s broader operational turnaround can continue to gain momentum even as it works through the lingering costs and delays tied to programs like Air Force One.

SAN FRANCISCO — Shares of Yelp Inc. rose 4.2% in morning trading Tuesday, extending recent gains as the local reviews company highlighted progress with its artificial intelligence tools for restaurants and continued momentum from a content licensing deal with OpenAI.

Yelp stock advanced $1.11 to $27.51 as of 10:42 a.m. EDT, building on a 5.2% gain the prior session. The move comes as investors focused on the company’s push into AI-powered services that go beyond traditional advertising revenue.

Yelp announced that its AI phone answering service, Yelp Host, has surpassed 1 million calls handled. The company expanded the product to include food ordering capabilities over the phone and integrated it with OpenTable’s reservation network in the United States and Canada. Guests can now book, modify or cancel reservations by phone through Yelp Host, with bookings syncing automatically to OpenTable in real time.

The expansion adds support for 16 additional languages. Akhil Kuduvalli Ramesh, Yelp’s chief product officer, said the platform helps restaurants manage inquiries in ways “generic solutions can’t match.”

Yelp Host, launched as an AI-powered call answering service for restaurants, answers incoming calls, manages reservations, shares wait times, blocks spam and answers common questions. Pricing starts at $249 per month after a free trial period. Company executives have previously estimated a market opportunity exceeding $1 billion in the United States for the product.

The announcement builds on earlier updates. In the first quarter, Yelp Host reached an annual run rate of more than 1.5 million calls handled by April, more than doubling from January levels. Management has described strong restaurant demand and plans to further expand functionality.

Separately, Yelp continues to benefit from attention around its July 23 licensing agreement with OpenAI. Under the deal, ChatGPT can use Yelp’s reviews, photos, ratings and business information to respond to local queries. Yelp branding and links appear when the content is used. A “Request a Quote” feature is also planned, allowing ChatGPT users to contact local service providers directly.

Yelp Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Stoppelman told Axios the partnership reflects the value of the company’s data. “If you want to answer local queries, you really need Yelp,” he said. He added that distributing content beyond Yelp’s own platform can still create value for the company: “Ultimately, we believe that if we allow our content outside the walls of just Yelp, and we provide it in useful ways to consumers … value does accrue back to Yelp.”

The OpenAI agreement is non-exclusive and financial terms were not disclosed. It follows earlier data licensing arrangements Yelp has with platforms including Apple Maps, Amazon Alexa, Microsoft Bing and others. Stoppelman has noted that local intent remains a significant portion of search activity and that high-quality, human-written reviews provide an advantage.

Yelp is scheduled to report second-quarter 2026 financial results after the market closes on Aug. 6. In the first quarter, the company posted net revenue of $361 million, up 1% year over year. Advertising revenue from restaurants, retail and other categories declined 11%, while services advertising rose modestly and other revenue grew 75%, driven by contributions from Hatch, data licensing and food ordering.

Adjusted EBITDA was $79 million. The company reiterated full-year 2026 guidance for net revenue of $1.455 billion to $1.475 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $310 million to $330 million. It is targeting an annual run rate of $250 million in other revenue by the end of 2028.

Yelp has been investing in AI transformation, including the launch of an expanded Yelp Assistant for local discovery across categories and the acquisition of Hatch, an AI lead management platform for service professionals, earlier in the year. The company has also been returning capital to shareholders through share repurchases.

Analysts maintain a Hold consensus rating on the stock, with an average price target near current levels. Shares have declined more than 20% year to date amid pressure on core advertising revenue and fewer paying advertisers, though the stock remains well above its 52-week low of $19.60.

The dual focus on expanding AI tools for businesses and licensing content to major AI platforms positions Yelp to capture new revenue streams as consumer behavior shifts toward chat-based discovery. Restaurant operators face ongoing challenges with missed calls during peak periods, which can lead to lost bookings and orders. Yelp Host aims to address that by providing 24/7 automated handling while integrating with existing reservation systems.

Market participants will watch the upcoming earnings report for updates on advertising trends, the contribution from other revenue sources and further details on AI product adoption. Yelp’s shares have shown sensitivity to news on partnerships and product progress in recent sessions, reflecting investor interest in the company’s ability to diversify beyond traditional search-driven advertising.

The broader environment for local businesses remains mixed, with management previously noting challenging conditions for advertisers. Strength in services categories and newer offerings has helped offset some of the weakness in restaurants, retail and other advertising. Data licensing and AI tools represent efforts to build higher-margin, recurring revenue that is less dependent on consumer ad clicks.

Yelp, founded in 2004, operates a platform connecting consumers with local businesses through user-generated reviews, photos and ratings. It generates the majority of its revenue from performance-based advertising sold to local merchants. The company employs roughly 5,000 people and continues to emphasize trust and safety measures alongside its technology investments.

Tuesday’s advance leaves the stock trading with a market capitalization of about $1.5 billion. Volume and broader market conditions will influence whether the gains hold through the close. Investors remain focused on execution of the AI strategy and the pace of revenue diversification as the company approaches its next quarterly report.

Global markets have been volatile this month as investors worry ‌that Alphabet, Microsoft, ⁠Amazon ⁠and other technology heavyweights may be overspending on AI data centers as they race to dominate the emerging technology.

Microsoft rose ahead of its report on Wednesday, while Amazon was near flat ahead of its results on Thursday. Apple climbed and lifted its stock market value to $5 trillion for the first time. The iPhone maker reports its results on Thursday.

The S&P 500 healthcare and consumer staples indexes each rallied, while declining chipmakers kept the tech index in negative territory.

“What has been behind the ⁠move into ‌these non-tech names? Part of it is value,” said Ross Mayfield, investment strategy analyst at Baird in Louisville, Kentucky. “GDP is solid, the labor market continues to churn ⁠along and, in a lot of places, there’s evidence that consumer spending is reaccelerating.” Coca-Cola rallied after the beverage company raised its annual revenue and profit forecasts. Boeing jumped after the airplane maker generated positive free cash flow as its turnaround plans gained momentum.

Live Events

According to preliminary data, the S&P 500 gained 17.07 points, or 0.23%, to end at 7,430.25 points, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 58.88 points, or 0.24%, to 24,873.20. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 546.61 points, or 1.05%, to 52,756.69.
FED DECISION IN FOCUS
The ‌Federal Reserve is due to announce its interest-rate decision on Wednesday. Traders see a 71% probability that the central bank will leave rates unchanged and a 29% chance of a 25-basis-point rate hike, according ⁠to CME’s FedWatch tool. Higher rates could further pressure AI companies that are becoming more dependent on debt financing. Corning tumbled after third-quarter sales forecasts missed estimates, while contract research firm IQVIA Holdings jumped 12% after lifting its annual profit forecast. Oil prices offered some broader relief, with Brent falling 4.8% to settle at $84.09 a barrel on expectations that tensions in the Middle East and in Ukraine would ease as the White House hosted Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei pushed back on claims that his AI startup supports a ban on open-weight models to support its competitive position in a letter after Anthropic was notably absent from a letter signed by many leading AI firms.

Leading companies in the AI space, including Nvidia, Palantir and others, participated in the letter and announced a partnership in the Open Secure AI Alliance, which looks to develop and share more open technologies to improve security in the AI era as risks can stem from both open and closed models.

Amodei wrote in a post on Anthropic’s website, “Anyone who has read my past writing should know that I don’t regard such bans as a useful measure, but let me state it clearly so that there is no doubt: Anthropic has never advocated for a ban on open-weight models.”

“But I don’t agree with the letter’s assertions that open-weights models necessarily make it easier to develop safeguards or that broad access to capabilities necessarily helps defenders more than attackers. It seems at least as likely to me that the opposite will be true,” he wrote, adding that biological weapons may have an edge over the defenses against them.

PALANTIR CEO WARNS US AGAINST EUROPE’S AI REGULATION PATH, URGES TRUMP ADMIN TO NOT BAN OPEN MODELS

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said the company hasn’t lobbied for a ban on open-weight models, but that he doesn’t think they’re as useful as defensive tools as proponents say. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Amodei said he views open-weight models that don’t have dangerous capabilities as a public good, as their cost is limited to the computer needed to operate them, and they provide value to businesses, developers and researchers.

He added that he agreed with much of the open letter, particularly the value of open-weights in expanding access to the AI economy, strengthening competition and giving customers more control.

“To summarize my and Anthropic’s position, we have not and are not advocating for a ban on open-weights models as a category. We should instead focus on keeping powerful chips out of authoritarian hands, stopping industrial-scale distillation, and requiring safety testing of all sufficiently capable models, open and closed,” Amodei wrote.

NVIDIA, MICROSOFT URGE US TO AVOID BROAD RESTRICTIONS ON OPEN AI MODELS

An open-weight AI model from China was used to help counter a cyberattack from a rogue OpenAI model on Hugging Face’s infrastructure. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Amodei’s letter was published hours after Palantir CEO Alex Karp, whose company signed the letter supporting the use of open-weight AI models, said in an exclusive interview on FOX Business Network’s “The Claman Countdown” that resistance to competition could lead to a less dynamic tech industry like in Europe’s.

Karp said he’s “not anti-Anthropic” or opposed to all closed models, but that “If you want to win, you have to compete on the battlefield.”

OPENAI CO-FOUNDER WARNS AI MODELS ARE BECOMING HARDER TO CONTROL AFTER ITS MODEL HACKED ANOTHER FIRM

Palantir CEO Alex Karp said open-weight models are needed to stay as competitive as possible. (Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Our job has to be to have the best AI in the world, if you’re going to actually say we’re going to restrict all the products to U.S. commercial, but they’re not going to be restricted abroad, which they’re not, you’re de facto setting up a two-stage thing where no one can claim we have the best products in the world. It’s complete insanity,” Karp said.

“We are building our platform in the U.S. government on the open-weight side with Nvidia. We can get the best performance in the world with a totally American company, using American open-weight companies and American GPUs. We don’t have to hide behind some kind of fake thing,” Karp said.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

The 2026 Commonwealth Games are underway in Glasgow, Scotland, bringing together athletes from across the Commonwealth of Nations for a 10-day, 10-sport competition that runs through the first weekend of August. Here’s a full breakdown of the schedule, venues and events for this year’s Games.

When and Where the Games Are Being Held

The Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games run from Thursday, July 23, when the opening ceremony took place, through Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland. The event marks the fourth time Scotland has hosted the Commonwealth Games, following the 1970 and 1986 editions in Edinburgh and the 2014 Games, which were also held in Glasgow.

Officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games, this year’s competition also carries added historical significance. The 2026 Commonwealth Games will be the first to be held since the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the accession of King Charles III as Head of the Commonwealth.

A Scaled-Back but Still Global Field

This year’s Games feature a more streamlined program than previous editions, though the event still draws a substantial international field. The Games are expected to bring together 74 Commonwealth Games Associations and roughly 3,000 athletes competing across 215 medal events in 11 sports total, with competitors representing their nations and territories under their own flags. According to organizers, the athletes will compete across four venues situated within an eight-mile corridor in Glasgow, a compact footprint designed to make the event more accessible and appealing for spectators.

A Streamlined 10-Sport Program

Due to the scaled-back nature of the 2026 Games, several sports that have featured in previous editions were excluded from this year’s official roster, including cricket, hockey, badminton, wrestling, squash and rugby sevens. In their place, organizers built a 10-sport program, including six fully integrated Para Sports, which they describe as featuring the largest-ever Para Sport medal event program in Commonwealth Games history.

Athletics: The Heart of the Games

Athletics remains the centerpiece of the Commonwealth Games program, as it has been since the sport’s introduction at the 1911 Inter-Empire Games, the recognized precursor to the modern Commonwealth Games. Track and field events are being held at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow from July 27 through Aug. 1.

This year’s athletics program includes several notable changes from past Games. Out-of-stadium events have been dropped for this edition, but organizers have reintroduced the mile race, branded as the Commonwealth Mile for both men and women, connecting to the sport’s strong Commonwealth tradition, along with the introduction of a new mixed 4×400-meter relay event. A record program of 16 para-athletics events is also being contested as part of this year’s Games.

Tuesday, July 28, marks a particularly high-profile day on the athletics calendar, featuring a showdown among sprinters in the men’s 100-meter heats and semifinals, along with continued competition in the 200-meter and 400-meter events.

Swimming and Aquatics

Swimming remains one of the Games’ most closely watched events, with competition unfolding across the first week of the schedule. Tuesday’s fifth day of competition features notable swimmers including Kyle Chalmers and other top international competitors in the pool, part of an ongoing swimming program that has drawn significant attention throughout the Games’ opening days.

3×3 Basketball

Among the sports carried over from the previous Games, 3×3 basketball is being staged at the SEC Centre in Glasgow between July 24 and 29, marking the discipline’s second appearance at the Commonwealth Games following its debut at the last edition. This year’s competition has been expanded, with the able-bodied tournaments growing to 12 teams each and the wheelchair basketball tournaments expanding to eight teams each, reflecting organizers’ emphasis on the Para Sport program.

Track Cycling

Cycling events will close out the Games’ second week, held exclusively on the track this year rather than including road cycling events as in past editions. Track cycling is being held at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow from July 30 through Aug. 2, marking the 22nd appearance of cycling at the Commonwealth Games, with both able-bodied and para-cycling categories contested across the four-day competition window.

Lawn Bowls

Lawn bowls also returns to this year’s program with a notable format change from previous Games. The competition is being held at the SEC Centre from July 24 through Aug. 2, marking the 22nd time bowls has featured at the Commonwealth Games, having appeared in every edition except 1966. This year’s competition is being contested in an indoor format for the first time in the event’s history, alongside a reduced overall program compared with past Games.

Venue Overview

Beyond the venues already mentioned, the SEC Centre in Glasgow is hosting multiple sports simultaneously throughout the Games, including 3×3 basketball, indoor bowls, boxing and judo, reflecting the compact, multi-venue approach organizers have taken to keep the footprint of this year’s event contained within Glasgow’s city limits.

How to Follow the Schedule

Fans looking to track daily events throughout the remainder of the Games can consult the day-by-day schedule published on the official Glasgow 2026 website, which breaks down sessions by sport, venue and time, using local Glasgow time throughout the competition. Broadcast coverage has also been organized to provide what organizers describe as an action-packed schedule spanning each day of competition, given the proximity of the various venues to one another.

With the Games now in their second week, competition continues to build toward its conclusion on Aug. 2, when the final events in cycling, athletics and lawn bowls are scheduled to wrap up, followed by the closing ceremony. Fans following along in the coming days can expect continued high-profile athletics finals at Scotstoun Stadium, medal rounds in 3×3 basketball at the SEC Centre, and the start of track cycling competition at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome as the 2026 Commonwealth Games move into their final stretch.

Shares climbed as high as $342.89, lifting Apple’s valuation to $5.036 trillion. The stock later pared gains, and was trading 0.2% higher at $337.70, giving the company a market capitalisation of about $4.96 trillion.

Apple became the world’s most valuable company earlier this month, overtaking Nvidia, which had held the top spot since June 2025 and was the first company to cross the $5 trillion mark.

Apple’s rally this year has been fueled by strong product demand and its decision to avoid the costly AI spending race that has strained cash flow at Big Tech rivals.

After struggling to develop competitive AI models in-house, Apple turned to Google’s technology to power new services, including a revamped Siri. The approach has helped it avoid the heavy infrastructure costs that have raised investor concerns about returns on soaring data-center investment.

Live Events

Demand has also benefited from Apple’s decision to keep iPhone prices unchanged last month while raising prices for MacBooks and iPads. Analysts said buyers rushed to purchase its flagship device ahead of expected price increases later this year.
The iPhone maker also launched a US device-leasing program on Tuesday through payments provider Klarna. Monthly payments start at $17.99 for an iPhone, $11.99 for an Apple Watch or iPad and $24.99 for a Mac.”Apple has resisted the AI spending race, betting that customer experience – not infrastructure investment – will ultimately determine the winners,” said Dipanjan Chatterjee, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester.

“The new leasing program is a clever response: it doesn’t reduce the price of an iPhone, but it changes how consumers perceive the cost by replacing sticker shock with a predictable monthly payment.”

Including Tuesday’s gains, Apple shares have risen 24% this year, comfortably outperforming the other six members of the “Magnificent Seven.”

Apple is scheduled to report third-quarter results after Thursday’s market close, with analysts expecting revenue to rise more than 15% from a year earlier.

Apple shares have climbed over 20% in the last one month and 58% over one year.