Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
PayPal is a company that helps people pay for things online. On Wednesday, July 15, 2026, PayPal's stock price jumped almost 20 percent before the stock market opened.
The stock jumped because of a new report. The report said another company wants to buy PayPal for more than $53 billion.
The same morning, other companies shared how much money they made. BlackRock's stock rose 4.4 percent, and Morgan Stanley's stock rose about 1 percent.
Not every company had good news. Elevance Health's stock fell 7.2 percent, and Johnson & Johnson's stock fell 1.7 percent.
- stock
- A small piece of ownership in a company that people can buy and sell
- takeover offer
- A plan by one company to buy another company
- premarket
- The time before the stock market officially opens for the day
- billion
- A very large number, equal to one thousand million
- earnings
- The money a company makes as profit
- report (financial)
- News or information about money and business
- profit
- The money left over after a company pays its costs
- percent
- A way to show a part out of one hundred
Level 2 — Elementary
Shares of PayPal Holdings surged nearly 20 percent in premarket trading on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, after a report said the payments company had received a takeover offer valuing it at more than $53 billion.
The same morning brought a wave of earnings reports from banks and healthcare companies. BlackRock's shares rose 4.4 percent after the asset manager beat second quarter profit estimates, helped by a stock market rally that increased the value of the client money it manages.
Morgan Stanley's shares climbed about 1 percent after the bank matched earnings expectations and beat revenue expectations for the second quarter, reporting $3.46 per share in profit on $21.35 billion in revenue.
Not all the earnings news was positive. Elevance Health's shares fell 7.2 percent and Johnson & Johnson's shares fell 1.7 percent after each company released its own quarterly results.
- shares
- Units of ownership in a company that investors can buy or sell
- surge
- A sudden, large increase
- premarket trading
- Buying and selling of stocks before the main stock market opens
- takeover offer
- A proposal from one company to purchase another company
- asset manager
- A company that invests and manages money on behalf of clients
- quarterly earnings
- A company's profit results reported every three months
- revenue
- The total amount of money a company brings in from sales
- rally
- A period when stock prices rise broadly across the market
Level 3 — Intermediate
PayPal Holdings shares surged nearly 20 percent in premarket trading on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, after a report indicated that the payments company had received a takeover offer valuing it at more than $53 billion, though the deal had not been confirmed or finalized.
The jump coincided with a broader wave of second quarter earnings from banks and healthcare firms. BlackRock's shares climbed 4.4 percent after the asset manager topped profit estimates, aided by a stock market rally that lifted the value of the client assets it oversees.
Morgan Stanley's shares rose about 1 percent after the bank matched analyst expectations of $3.46 per share in earnings while beating revenue forecasts, posting $21.35 billion against estimates of $19.64 billion. Elevance Health and Johnson & Johnson, however, saw their shares fall 7.2 percent and 1.7 percent respectively following their own results.
Separately, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Producer Price Index fell a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent in June, defying consensus forecasts that had called for no change, while core PPI, which excludes food and energy, rose 0.2 percent. Nine initial public offerings were also scheduled to price that same Wednesday.
- consensus forecast
- The average prediction made by a group of financial analysts
- Producer Price Index
- A measure of the average change in prices businesses receive for goods and services
- seasonally adjusted
- Statistically corrected to remove the effect of regular seasonal patterns
- core PPI
- A version of the Producer Price Index that excludes food and energy prices
- initial public offering (IPO)
- The first time a company sells shares of stock to the public
- analyst estimate
- A financial expert's prediction of a company's results
- finalize
- To make an agreement or plan complete and official
- oversee (assets)
- To be responsible for managing money or investments
Level 4 — Advanced
Shares of PayPal Holdings surged nearly 20 percent in premarket trading on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, after a report indicated the payments giant had received a takeover offer valuing the company at upward of $53 billion, a figure that, if the deal were to materialize, would rank among the largest fintech acquisitions on record. As of Wednesday morning, however, the offer remained unconfirmed and far from finalized.
The surge unfolded against the backdrop of a broader second quarter earnings season for banks and healthcare firms. BlackRock's shares advanced 4.4 percent after the asset manager exceeded profit estimates, buoyed by a stock market rally that inflated the value of client assets under its management, while Morgan Stanley's shares climbed roughly 1 percent after the bank matched consensus earnings per share of $3.46 while comfortably outpacing revenue forecasts, posting $21.35 billion against an expected $19.64 billion.
Not every earnings report landed favorably. Elevance Health's shares slid 7.2 percent and Johnson & Johnson's shares dipped 1.7 percent, each following the release of its own quarterly figures.
In a separate release, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Producer Price Index declined a seasonally adjusted 0.3 percent in June, confounding a consensus that had anticipated no movement, even as core PPI, which strips out food and energy, edged up 0.2 percent. The same Wednesday was also set to bring nine initial public offerings to market, underscoring the day's unusually dense concentration of market moving events.
- fintech
- A business that uses technology to provide financial services
- acquisition
- The purchase of one company by another
- buoyed
- Lifted or supported, especially in confidence or value
- confound
- To confuse or contradict expectations
- consensus (financial)
- The general agreement among analysts about an expected result
- strip out
- To remove certain items from a calculation to isolate the rest
- unconfirmed
- Not yet officially verified as true
- materialize
- To become real or actually happen
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