Palantir Technologies crossed the $1-billion quarterly revenue mark for the first time, reporting second-quarter sales of $1.004 billion, up 48 % from a year earlier and well above analysts’ $939 million consensus. Adjusted earnings rose to $0.16 a share, versus expectations of $0.14, while GAAP net income more than doubled to $327 million. The performance extends a sharp demand surge for the company’s artificial-intelligence software and data platforms. Growth was led by the United States, where revenue jumped 68 % to $733 million. U.S. commercial revenue nearly doubled, climbing 93 % to $306 million, and government revenue advanced 53 % to $426 million. Palantir closed 157 contracts worth at least $1 million each, lifting total contract value 140 % to $2.27 billion. The quarter delivered a Rule-of-40 score of 94 and generated adjusted EBITDA of $470.9 million on a 46 % adjusted operating margin. Management forecast third-quarter revenue of $1.083 billion to $1.087 billion—about 50 % above the prior-year period—and raised full-year guidance to $4.14 billion–$4.15 billion from $3.89 billion–$3.90 billion. It also projected adjusted operating income of up to $1.92 billion for 2025. Shares rose roughly 4 % to 5 % in post-market trading as investors welcomed the stronger outlook and the company’s first billion-dollar quarter.

Tesla Inc. has granted Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk 96 million restricted shares—valued at roughly US$29 billion at Monday’s pre-market price—in an interim compensation plan disclosed in an SEC filing. The “2025 CEO Interim Award” will vest after two years provided Musk remains in a senior leadership role, and the shares cannot be sold or transferred for five years. Musk must pay US$23.34 for each share, mirroring the strike price of his 2018 package. The award will be forfeited if courts ultimately reinstate that earlier plan, preventing a double payout. The move follows a Delaware Chancery Court decision in January 2024 that voided Musk’s US$56 billion 2018 pay deal for being unfairly negotiated; the case is now before the state’s Supreme Court. Tesla’s board—through a special committee led by Chair Robyn Denholm and director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson—said the new grant is a “good-faith” step to retain Musk as competition for artificial-intelligence talent intensifies. Tesla shares rose about 2% to roughly US$310 in pre-market trading on the news, though they remain down about 25% so far this year. Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said the award removes an overhang and secures Musk’s leadership through at least 2027.

The United States is preparing to unveil an accelerated plan to build and operate a nuclear reactor on the Moon, according to multiple media reports citing internal government documents. Acting NASA Administrator and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is expected to issue a formal request for industry proposals for a 100-kilowatt fission surface power system capable of supporting astronauts and equipment on the lunar surface. The directive, described in draft materials obtained by Politico and echoed in a Fox News report, sets 2030 as the target date for the reactor to be up and running. The plan marks the first major initiative under Duffy’s interim leadership of NASA and calls for closer public-private collaboration than previous lunar power concepts. National-security considerations appear to be driving the timeline. The draft directive warns that whichever nation deploys the first reactor could declare a lunar “keep-out zone,” a scenario U.S. officials fear could materialize if China and Russia succeed in their own joint lunar project. By fast-tracking a domestic reactor, Washington aims to secure a sustained power source for planned Artemis missions and reinforce U.S. strategic presence on the Moon.

Microsoft’s market value climbed past $4 trillion for the first time on 31 July, making it only the second publicly traded company, after Nvidia, to reach the milestone. The stock closed up 4.5% at $536.47, bringing the software maker’s capitalization to roughly the size of Germany’s annual economic output and eclipsing the combined worth of hundreds of smaller S&P 500 members. The fresh record followed Microsoft’s stronger-than-expected fiscal fourth-quarter results, which showed revenue rising 18% from a year earlier—its fastest growth in more than three years—driven by booming demand for Azure cloud services and artificial-intelligence products. The company said it plans a record $30 billion of capital spending in the current quarter to expand data-center capacity, underscoring Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella’s push to make Microsoft the backbone of corporate AI infrastructure. Microsoft’s surge fed a wider technology rally that added an estimated $1.1 trillion to the value of U.S. equities on 4 August, according to market-data tallies. President Donald Trump welcomed the advance, saying there would be “many more days like this,” as investors continued to concentrate bets in a handful of megacap companies seen as the main beneficiaries of the AI boom.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told parliament that last month’s trade accord with the United States is a “win-win” for both economies, but warned that executing the terms will be harder than striking the deal. The agreement promises, among other provisions, a reduction in U.S. tariffs on Japanese automobiles to 15% from the current 25%. Ishiba said he is willing to meet President Donald Trump in person or by phone to secure the tariff cut and stressed that the pact does not need to be formalized on paper to take effect. He urged swift implementation, adding that Tokyo would “resist” any reversal to the higher tariff rate. Japan’s chief negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, will travel to Washington this week to press U.S. officials for an early presidential order that enacts the tariff reduction. Akazawa described the accord as a non-binding “common understanding,” said it would not require revising the broader bilateral treaty, and highlighted planned cooperation with the United States on semiconductor production, pharmaceutical supply chains and efforts to boost inward investment. To cushion any lingering impact from U.S. duties, Ishiba signaled readiness to compile a supplementary budget and indicated that subsidy measures will be shaped by talks with opposition parties. The premier also pledged to safeguard farmers and other sensitive sectors while monitoring private-sector investment decisions tied to the deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he will "substantially" raise tariffs on Indian exports to the United States, arguing that New Delhi is buying “massive amounts” of Russian crude and reselling part of it on the open market for profit while the war in Ukraine continues. The president did not specify the new tariff rate or a timetable for implementation. Trump’s threat intensifies pressure applied last week, when a 25% duty on Indian goods came into force. On Sunday, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller accused India of effectively financing Russia’s war by purchasing oil and noted that the country now rivals China as one of Moscow’s biggest energy customers. Indian government officials told Reuters over the weekend that the country will keep importing Russian barrels despite Washington’s warnings. Russian deliveries, offered at sanctions-discounted prices, account for about 35% of India’s crude supply, making the South Asian nation the largest buyer of seaborne Russian oil. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing separate trade matters, urged citizens to favor domestically made products but gave no indication of curbing energy ties with Moscow. The prospective tariff hike threatens to strain a bilateral trade relationship already unsettled by broader U.S. protectionist measures, including a 145% levy on Chinese goods that took effect in April. Trump has floated duties of up to 100% on countries that continue oil commerce with Russia unless a Ukraine cease-fire is secured. Markets are now watching for details on how steep the new charges on Indian shipments will be and whether New Delhi adjusts its energy strategy in response.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued fresh staff accounting guidance late 4 Aug., stating that certain fully collateralised U.S.-dollar stablecoins may be classified as cash equivalents on corporate balance sheets, provided holders have an enforceable right to redeem the tokens at par value. The clarification builds on initial crypto accounting rules released earlier this year and is intended as an interim measure while the agency develops broader regulations for digital-asset securities. By allowing qualifying stablecoins to be booked alongside cash and short-term Treasury bills, the SEC aims to remove what market participants had described as a major accounting barrier to traditional financial institutions entering the sector. SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the move forms part of a wider effort to revise policies viewed as overly restrictive and to provide "workable rules of the road" until Congress finalises stablecoin legislation. Industry groups welcomed the guidance, noting it could lower compliance costs for banks and funds that use dollar-pegged tokens for payments, settlements and liquidity management.

Brazil’s Supreme Court placed former president Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest on Monday after Justice Alexandre de Moraes ruled that he repeatedly violated court-ordered restrictions while standing trial for allegedly conspiring to overturn his 2022 election loss. The order confines the 70-year-old politician to his residence in Brasília, requires him to keep an electronic ankle monitor and bars the use of telephones or other electronic devices. Only his lawyers and individuals authorised by the court may visit. Federal police executed the warrant on Monday evening and seized Bolsonaro’s mobile phone. Moraes said Bolsonaro breached a 18 July ban on using social media—directly or through intermediaries—by sending video and voice messages that were posted by his sons and allies during nationwide demonstrations on 3 August. The judge described the conduct as a fresh attempt to coerce the court and obstruct justice. Bolsonaro’s lawyers called the decision unexpected and said they will appeal, insisting their client obeyed all prior measures. The move makes him the fourth Brazilian ex-president to be detained since the country’s return to democracy in 1985. The ruling comes amid a dispute with Washington: the U.S. Treasury last week sanctioned Moraes, and President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, claiming the coup trial is a political “witch hunt.”

China’s Ant Group has begun off-loading its remaining 5.84% holding in Indian fintech Paytm, formally known as One 97 Communications, through block trades priced at Rs 1,020 a share. A first tranche executed at market open on 5 August moved roughly 1.86 crore shares—about 2.9% of Paytm’s equity—for around Rs 3,800 crore (US$434 million), according to a term sheet and exchange data. The sale marks Ant’s complete exit from the company it first backed in 2015, when the Alibaba affiliate and its parent invested for a combined 40% stake. Ant had earlier pared its exposure by selling 10.3% in August 2023 and a further 4% in May 2025. Citigroup Global Markets India and Goldman Sachs India Securities are managing the clean-up trade, which is being executed on Indian stock-exchange platforms and will settle on a T+1 basis. Because the transaction is secondary, Paytm will receive no proceeds. Paytm shares slipped about 2% in early trading following the block, which was priced at a 5.4% discount to the stock’s previous NSE close. The divestment comes after the payments firm reported its first quarterly profit earlier this year and as several early investors—including Berkshire Hathaway and SoftBank—have scaled back positions amid heightened scrutiny of Chinese ownership in Indian tech companies.

Chemours, DuPont and Corteva have agreed to pay New Jersey $875 million to resolve allegations that the companies contaminated drinking water and soil with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the persistent pollutants known as PFAS or “forever chemicals.” State Attorney General Matthew Platkin said the pact is the largest environmental settlement ever reached by a single U.S. state. The companies will make the payments over 25 years, starting no earlier than Jan. 1, 2026. Under the deal, Chemours will fund half the amount, DuPont 35.5 percent and Corteva the remainder. New Jersey said the money will finance cleanup at four former industrial sites and establish a remediation fund and reserve to ensure work continues even if any of the firms default. The agreement follows a series of PFAS settlements across the United States, including a $1.19 billion deal last year in which the same three companies compensated water providers, and a separate $10.3 billion settlement by 3M. Regulators and plaintiffs’ lawyers expect additional litigation as federal limits on PFAS in drinking water tighten.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has ordered federal prosecutors to present evidence to a grand jury examining claims that members of former President Barack Obama’s administration falsified intelligence about Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The Justice Department confirmed that a prosecutor has been tasked with laying out the department’s findings, but it has not identified potential defendants or the location of the panel. The criminal referral came last month from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who declassified documents she says cast doubt on the intelligence community’s 2017 assessment that Moscow sought to help Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. Bondi subsequently created a departmental “strike force” and has now moved the case to the grand-jury phase, enabling subpoenas and witness testimony. Prosecutors expect to begin calling witnesses in the coming weeks, though no timetable for possible indictments has been set. The investigation revisits terrain previously explored by Special Counsel John Durham, whose multiyear inquiry produced three criminal cases—two ending in acquittal and one in a misdemeanor plea. The latest move is likely to intensify scrutiny of the Justice Department’s independence, as it weighs nearly decade-old conduct that has already undergone extensive congressional and prosecutorial review.

More than 600 retired Israeli security and intelligence officials—including former chiefs of the Mossad spy agency, the Shin Bet domestic security service and three past military chiefs of staff—have written to U.S. President Donald Trump urging him to press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt Israel’s nearly two-year-old war in Gaza. The signatories say Hamas “no longer poses a strategic threat” and warn that continued fighting is eroding Israel’s security and identity. The appeal argues that freeing the remaining hostages held by Hamas now requires a negotiated deal rather than further military action. The letter surfaced as Netanyahu signalled a move in the opposite direction. After indirect cease-fire talks with Hamas collapsed, the prime minister said he will convene his security cabinet this week to issue fresh military instructions. Israeli broadcasters Channel 12 and N12, citing a senior official in Netanyahu’s office, reported that a decision has been taken to expand the offensive and occupy the entire Gaza Strip; the same sources said the Israel Defense Forces’ chief of staff could resign if ordered to implement the plan. Reuters separately confirmed that “more force” is among the options to be discussed. The prospect of full occupation has drawn resistance inside Israel’s security establishment, which argues that such a step could imperil roughly 49 hostages still held in Gaza and entangle the army in a prolonged insurgency. According to Gaza’s health ministry, Israeli operations have killed more than 60,000 Palestinians since October 2023; Israel’s official tally puts its own death toll from the initial Hamas attack at 1,219. Public protests and the unprecedented intervention by former security chiefs underscore mounting domestic and international pressure on Netanyahu as the war approaches its third year.