U.S. markets finish in the green for a second day running with earnings in full swing. Up to 88 per cent of S&P 500 companies having already beat Q2 expectations. Bitcoin is buoyed by comments from Tesla CEO Elon Musk who has suggested that the electric car maker is likely to reinstate the cryptocurrency for payments. The U.S. and Germany have agreed on the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline but the move has been slammed by Ukraine which fears Russia could weaponise the deal. And in corporate news, Swiss-Swedish robotics manufacturer ABB has seen orders rise by 32 per cent in Q2 but warns of supply chain bottlenecks and rising raw material costs.