The IMF further said, "Risks to the forecast are mainly to the downside". The organization cut its forecast of China’s economic growth to 6.2%, which is  -0.1 a percentage point lower than the April forecast. However, the IMF increased its projection for U.S. growth by 0.3 a percentage point to 2.6% - the fastest among large advanced economies.IMF’s latest forecasts come amidst expectations of a U.S. policy interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve.

The company also raised its full-year guidance. The aircraft manufacturing company reported adjusted second-quarter earnings of $2.20 a share, compared to analysts estimate of $2.05 a share (based on FactSet poll). Sales of $19.63 billion also came in higher than analysts' estimates of $19.55 billion.The figure was also significantly greater than the year-ago quarter’s $16.71 billion. Looking ahead, United Technologies predicts that its full-year adjusted earnings per share would come in between $7.90 and $8.05, up from a prior forecasted range of $7.80 to $8.00.

They were also higher compared to the year-ago quarter’s 54 cents a share, Sales of $10 billion also beat estimates of $9.9 billion (based on FactSet poll). The company mentioned a +4% volume and transaction growth in Coke’s namesake brand.Its Zero Sugar line once again experienced double-digit volume growth worldwide. In recent years, Coke has expanded its footprints well beyond its iconic brown carbonated drinks.

RPM International crushed analysts’ estimates on earnings, sending its shares surging more than +5% on  Monday. The maker of high-performance specialty coatings, sealants and building materials reported fiscal fourth quarter earnings of $1.24 a share, which surpassed the $1.14 a share estimate of analysts surveyed by Zacks.The per-share earnings was +21.6% higher from the year-ago period. RPM’s earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) clocked a +51.5% increase, to touch $204.6 million in the quarter compared to $135 million a year ago. Revenue of $1.6 billion, however, was slightly below (around  -0.19%) analyst estimates, according to Zacks.

 KeyBanc analyst  Edward Yruma mentioned that Prime Day emerged as the largest sales day in Amazon history, and was even bigger than  Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined.  Meanwhile, Deutsche Bank analysts raised their price target on Amazon to $2,515 , up from $2,315.Analyst Lloyd Walmsley seems to be hopeful on the company's revenue and unit growth in the third quarter, which should cover some of the costs associated with the company’s move to one-day prime shipping. Walmsley also indicated that it is difficult for competitors to match Amazon’s delivery speed and costs even in the mid-to-long term, given limitations of scale.  

Shares of DaVita surged more than +5% in premarket trading Monday, following news of the company’s second-quarter operating income guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations. The healthcare company reported its projection for second-quarter operating income between $460 million and $465 million - a range that is substantially higher than the FactSet consensus of $398 million.  For the full-year, the company increased its adjusted operating income guidance to between $1.64 billion and $1.70 billion, from its prior forecast of a range of $1.54 billion to $1.64 billion.  The news comes ahead of DaVita’s modified Dutch auction tender offer on up to $1.2 billion of its common stock.The auction, priced between $53.50  and $61.50 per share, will start on Monday and continue until August 16 midnight.         

Halliburton’s second-quarter adjusted earnings exceeded analysts' expectations, leading to its shares climbing +1.6% in premarket trading Monday. The oil-field services company reported adjusted earnings of 35 cents per share, which surpassed the 30 cents per share estimated by analysts surveyed by FactSet. However, total revenue came in at $5.93 billion, slightly behind the FactSet consensus of $5.97 billion. The company’s revenue from North America was $3.3 billion, marking a +2% increase over the first quarter, thanks in part to increased drilling activity in the Gulf of Mexico.International revenue of  $2.6 billion came in + 6% higher from the first quarter, on the back of improvement in activity in the Middle East/Asias, as indicated by the company.

Micron Technology shares climbed on Monday, following a rating upgrade by Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs analyst  Mark Delaney  raised his rating on the computer memory and  data storage company’s stock to buy from neutral.Delaney  also increased price target on Micron shares to $56 from $40. The analyst indicated that he is now more optimistic about global memory stocks as he believes that the companies’ excess inventory will  be depleted faster than anticipated. Micron shares gained more than +3% in premarket trading on Monday, after the upgrade from Goldman Sachs.

Penney is reportedly exploring debt restructuring options, hoping to turn things around for its money-losing business. Before its total debt of roughly $4 billion comes due in the next few years, the retail giant - struggling with dwindling margins – seems to be trying to ameliorate the situation as much as it can.Citing sources familiar with the matter, CNBC reported that J.C. Penney has hired advisers for figuring out options on debt restructuring. The company is looking for ways to raise additional cash and/or negotiate with creditors to extend debt maturities, as indicated by the report.

Fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) fell sharply when it announced first-quarter earnings back in May.Sales have grown at a paltry 2% average over the last three years and they were flat in the first quarter. The company’s return on equity is only 6.5% and the profit margin is low as well at 3.6%.

(NYSE: GES) has been struggling over the past year.The EPS rating is well below average at 29 and the Relative Price Strength is even worse at 18. Over the last four months, a downward sloped trend channel has formed and the stock is hitting the upper rail of the channel at this time.

BlackRock Inc.’s second-quarter earnings fell short of analysts’ estimates. The global investment management company’s  earnings per share came in at $6.41, lower than the $6.50 average estimate of Wall Street analysts surveyed by FactSet.  While net income declined more than -7% year-over-year to $1 billion in the quarter, revenue decreased by -2% to $3.52 billion - on lower performance fees. The company also experienced declining securities-lending revenue. However, BlackRock indicated that rising investor demand for the company's bond mutual funds helped to increase assets under management by 5% during the quarter to $6.84 trillion. 

American Express Co.’s second quarter earnings surpassed analysts’ estimates, while the company reiterated its full-year profit guidance. For the three months ending in June, the financial services company reported earnings of $2.07 per share, 3 cents ahead of the Street consensus forecast.  The earnings per share was also +12.5% higher from the same period last year. The company's total revenue increased +8% to $10.8 billion, in line with analysts' estimates.The group's quarterly U.S. billed business grew +7% from the prior year to $209.2 billion, and its global bill increased +1.4% to $102.5 billion. CEO Steve Squeri indicated that there is a strong loyalty among consumers towards the company.

Ally Financial’s second quarter earnings beat analysts’ estimates, on the back of strong lending business. The  auto lender reported earnings per share of 97 cents (excluding certain tax benefits), which surpassed analysts’ expectations of 89 cents a share. According to the company, its retail auto loans increased to $72.3 billion from $69.9 billion in the year-ago quarter.The average yield on the retail auto loans increased to 6.58% from 6.08%, the lender said.  Furthermore, retail deposits increased by $3.2 billion, the most for a second quarter in Ally’s history. 

UnitedHealth Group's earnings for the three months ending in June came in higher than expected, and the company also boosted its full-year profit guidance.However, the company cautioned about a possible miss on 2019 revenue forecasts. The healthcare company reported adjusted earnings of $3.60 per share for the quarter, which is 15 cents ahead of the Street consensus forecast.  The earnings per share figure also reflects a +14.6% increase from the same period last year. Total revenues of the company rose +8% to $60.6 billion, largely in-line with analysts' estimates. Looking ahead, UnitedHealth expects its full-year net adjusted net earnings to be in the range of $14.70 to $14.90 per share, which is a small upgrade to the company's prior expectation. However, CFO John Rex told investors that 2019 revenues would be "at or just slightly below" the forecast range of $243 billion to $245 billion.

Blackstone experienced a step decline in profits in its latest quarter, but exceeded analysts’ estimates of distributable earnings. The  private equity and financial services company reported net income per share on a diluted basis of 45 cents for the second quarter, down -59% from a year ago (based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP)). Increased earnings from the sale of assets in Blackstone’s private equity, credit and fund-of-hedge-funds divisions was offset by a decline in proceeds from divestments in its real estate unit. Nevertheless, the company’s distributable earnings – which represents cash available for paying dividends – came in at 57 cents per share, beating analysts’ expectations of 49 cents (based on Refinitiv data). According to Blackstone, its assets under management surged to a record $545.5 billion in the three months through June, compared to the year-ago quarter’s $511.8 billion. Blackstone said that the value of its private equity por

It said that it missed forecasts in mostly those regions that saw price increases in subscription plans However, the company’s earnings for the quarter came in at 60 cents per share - which is 4 cents ahead of the Street consensus expectations.Total revenues rose +26% to $4.923 billion,  largely in-line with analysts' forecasts. Looking ahead, Netflix said that it expects revenues of $5.25 billion for the third quarter, with global streaming paid additions of 7 million.

The analysts indicated that Apple will likely offer 5G at lower price points and enable 5G capabilities for a wider range of iPhone models than previously expected.  However, Raymond James’s analysts did express concerns over the immediate scenario for Apple.They feel that currently Apple's iPhone sales face challenges, since Apple has been increasing prices for its flagship phones at a time when innovation between the different models is slowing.  But the analysts are hopeful that better bandwidth and improved connectivity of 5G technology will further strengthen the case for the rating upgrade. 

The 30-year bonds have been rallying just as much as other maturities and the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (Nasdaq: TLT) has moved from the $110 area to a recent high of over $134.Past predictions on the TLT have been successful 74% of the time.

Oil service provider Schlumberger (NYSE: SLB) is scheduled to release its second-quarter earnings results on July 19 and analysts expect the company to report earnings of $0.35 per share.Earnings were down by 21% in the first quarter compared to the first quarter of 2018. In addition to the poor earnings results, the company’s management efficiency measurements are subpar.