Trade Deficit Comes in Lower Than Expected

Market Overview - Pre-market futures are up due to various earnings reports, economic data, and a significant railway merger [1] - The Dow is slightly down by 12 points, while the S&P 500 is up by 11 points, and the Nasdaq is up by 88 points [1] Railway Merger - Union Pacific (UNP) is set to acquire Norfolk Southern (NSC) for $72 billion, or $320 per share, creating the first trans-continental railroad in the U.S. [2] - The merger requires approval from the Surface Transportation Board, and the current administration may favor the deal despite monopolistic concerns [3] Trade Balance - The Advanced U.S. Trade Balance in Goods for June shows a pullback to -$86 billion, better than expected, driven by a 4.2% decline in imports [4] - This indicates a slowdown in trade due to higher tariff expectations, contrasting with the record-low trade balance of -$162 billion in March 2025 [4] Q2 Earnings Highlights - Boeing (BA) reported a Q2 loss of $1.24 per share, improving by 30 cents over consensus, with revenues of $22.75 billion exceeding estimates by 4.1% [5] - UnitedHealth (UNH) missed earnings expectations with $4.08 per share versus $4.84 expected, while revenues of $111.6 billion slightly beat estimates [6] - Royal Caribbean (RCL) reported earnings of $4.38 per share, surpassing consensus by 6.8%, despite revenues of $4.54 billion missing projections [7] - Spotify (SPOT) reported a loss of $0.48 per share, significantly missing the $2.13 consensus estimate, with revenues of $4.76 billion also falling short [8]