Business & Markets — July 16, 2026

UnitedHealth raises profit outlook again. UnitedHealth beat quarterly earnings estimates and raised its profit guidance for the second time this year, as it exits unprofitable business lines and invests $1.5 billion in AI.

MarketWatch reported that UnitedHealth shares rallied following the results, indicating investors welcomed the strengthened forecast. According to the report, the insurer is pairing a pullback from money-losing operations with a large artificial-intelligence spending commitment, a combination it credits for allowing a second upward revision to guidance in the same year.

MarketWatch · Read more →

United Airlines lifts 2026 forecast. United Airlines topped Wall Street estimates and raised its full-year earnings forecast, even as the Iran conflict drives an expected $6 billion increase in its jet-fuel bill.

Quartz · Read more →

China's economy grows 4.3%. China posted worse-than-expected growth of 4.3% for the three months to June, one of its lowest readings on record, as concerns grow about weak consumer spending.

The Guardian characterized the reading as a sign of a lopsided economy, one in which household consumption is too weak to match the pace of overall output. The below-forecast figure, among the weakest on record for the country, adds to concern about whether domestic demand can sustain growth going forward.

The Guardian World · Read more →