Welcome to Markets Desk, your midday read on what's moving money and markets.
Europe may finally be turning a corner. Companies in the Stoxx Europe six hundred delivered an eighteen percent jump in earnings per share in the second quarter versus a year ago — the continent's strongest reporting season in years. Critically, that growth is broadening beyond AI and banking names, suggesting a more durable recovery may be taking hold.
Shifting to Washington, President Trump disclosed just over one thousand financial transactions for the month of June, revealing a meaningful reshuffling of his personal portfolio. He trimmed exposure to Meta and rotated into Berkshire Hathaway, among other moves — a disclosure that drew attention given the policy overlap between his administration and several of the names involved.
And on the geopolitical front, cracks are widening inside Iran's leadership as the economy continues to deteriorate ahead of another round of American sanctions. Moderate officials are openly pushing back against hardline military-first strategy, signaling that the pressure to reach some form of economic relief is becoming difficult to contain. With no diplomatic progress in sight, the internal divide is sharpening fast.
That's the tape. Markets Desk, signing off the floor.
