Investors are bracing for a busy earnings week, with morethan 100 S&P 500 companies reporting results and the first of the techgiants, Alphabet and Tesla, set to take center stage midweek. Monday’s early reports painted a mixed picture, butoptimism about broader corporate performance and easing bond yields helped pushmajor indexes higher.Verizon Raises Forecast, Domino’s Misses ProfitVerizon opened the week with a solid beat, lifting itsfull-year profit outlook after stronger-than-expected demand for high-endwireless plans. The telecom giant's results offered a positive outlook even asmacroeconomic questions, particularly around tariffs, loom large.Domino’s Pizza also posted earnings before the bellbut delivered a more mixed picture. Same-store sales rose by 3.4%, ahead offorecasts, but profits fell short. Despite this, the pizza chain’s performanceindicates a continued appetite for value-focused consumer brands.Steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs surprised investors withbetter-than-expected earnings and used its earnings call to praise formerPresident Trump’s Section 232 steel tariffs, calling them a tailwind fordomestic production.Alphabet and Tesla to Anchor Tech Earnings MidweekWhile Monday provided early momentum, markets arelargely anticipating Wednesday, when Alphabet and Tesla report after the marketclose. The two are the first of the so-called “Magnificent Seven” to deliversecond-quarter numbers and could set the tone for the rest of the sector.Tesla, on the other hand, continues to face pressurefrom falling deliveries and heightened political scrutiny of CEO Elon Musk. Q2deliveries dropped 13.5% from a year ago to 384,122, marking the secondconsecutive quarterly decline, Reuters reported. The stock remains highly volatile, recovering47% since its April low but still down 18% on the year. Tesla’s valuation—188times earnings—raises the stakes for its upcoming report.Tariffs, Fed Talk Add Complexity to Market OutlookBank of America Securities has reiterated its Buyrating and $320 price target on IBM, citing potential growth in Red Hat andforeign exchange tailwinds ahead of the tech giant’s second-quarter earningsreport on July 23.IBM shares last traded at $287.09, bringing the stockwithin range of its 52-week high of $296.16. The company’s marketcapitalization stands at approximately $266 billion. Markets Search for Catalyst as Sentiment ShiftsBeyond earnings, global trade tensions continue tohover over markets. The U.S. is just 11 days away from a potential tariffincrease on European goods, with reports suggesting that the Trumpadministration may consider duties as high as 15%. EU officials are preparingfor retaliatory action if negotiations collapse.Meanwhile, speculation persists around the future ofFederal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. According to the Wall Street Journal,Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has advised President Trump not to removePowell, despite growing policy disagreements.Meanwhile, the market's recent momentum has reliedheavily on tech and AI enthusiasm, which leaves indices vulnerable if resultsdisappoint. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.