The Markets Point Up: Rivian Crushed & Amazon Is Crushing It 8-3-26 - Becker Business

Summary3 min read

Becker Business Podcast Summary

Episode: The Markets Point Up: Rivian Crushed & Amazon Is Crushing It
Host: Scott Becker
Date: August 3, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott Becker delivers a brisk update on key business headlines shaping the market landscape. Focusing on stock performance and sector trends, he highlights strong market movements, troubles in the electric vehicle (EV) industry, and Amazon's surge powered by cloud growth. The episode is concise, newsy, and driven by Scott’s signature on-the-ground commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Positive Market Momentum

Main Insight: Equities surged over 1% on the back of geopolitical developments.
Details:
- The market responded positively as President Trump eased tensions regarding potential attacks on Iran.
- Year-to-date, the S&P rose approximately 10-11%, with the NASDAQ up about 13%.
Notable Quote:

“The markets point up significantly today as President Trump takes his foot off the gas on attacks in Iran ... Things moving in the right direction in the markets, even if we might not get regime change in Iran.” (Scott Becker, 00:37)

2. Rivian and the EV Sector Slump

Main Insight: Rivian’s stock took a notable hit, dropping nearly 10% in a single day.
Details:
- Rivian’s impressive car aesthetics are overshadowed by core infrastructure challenges, specifically charging accessibility.
- Broader EV industry is struggling: Lucid Motors down 70% over the past 52 weeks; Tesla down 30% YTD.
Memorable Commentary:

“The cars look beautiful, but all I could think of when I think about the Rivian is my buddy in L.A. constantly trying to find charging stations.” (Scott Becker, 01:11)
- Electric vehicle sector faces persistent obstacles beyond just vehicle quality—charging infrastructure continues to be a major pain point.

3. Amazon’s Resurgence

Main Insight: Amazon enjoyed a dramatic 15% stock jump, propelled by robust cloud business results.
Details:
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) experienced 37% growth in the last quarter, reversing a previous deceleration trend.
- Amazon’s market capitalization soared above $3 trillion again.
Notable Quote:

“Its AWS business is doing great. It's growing like fantastic. And that's where a huge amount of profits come from. It hit 37% growth in the last quarter. That's an amazing jump for Amazon Web Services, which at some point was sort of slowing a little bit. Now it's back to accelerating. That's a huge plus for Amazon stock.” (Scott Becker, 01:39)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

On Market Upturn:
“The markets point up significantly today as President Trump takes his foot off the gas on attacks in Iran ... Things moving in the right direction in the markets, even if we might not get regime change in Iran.” (00:37)
On Rivian’s Struggles:
“The cars look beautiful, but all I could think of when I think about the Rivian is my buddy in L.A. constantly trying to find charging stations.” (01:11)
On Amazon’s Growth:
“Its AWS business is doing great ... It hit 37% growth in the last quarter. That’s an amazing jump.” (01:38)

Key Timestamps

[00:30] Episode start and introduction of top business stories
[00:36] Markets surge: causes and current performance
[01:09] Rivian stock performance and broader EV context
[01:36] Amazon’s breakout quarter and implications
[02:13] Recap and summary

Tone and Style

Scott Becker delivers the episode with conversational energy, straightforward analysis, and seasoned context on each story. He blends market data, industry anecdotes, and crisp summaries into a format ideal for busy business professionals seeking rapid, actionable insights.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:01]
A
Grainger knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail, filters ready to clog. H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24. 7 support. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.
[00:30]
B
This is Scott Becker with the Becker business and the Becker Private Equity Podcast. Today's discussion is the markets point up. Rivan is crushed and Amazon is crushing it. So. So here's the deal today. We'll walk you through three quick stories. First, the markets point up significantly today as President Trump takes his foot off the gas on attacks in Iran. Iran. The markets are pointing up more than 1% so far today. The S and P is now up about 10, 11% year to date. The NASDAQ about 13% year to date. Things moving in the right direction in the markets, even if we might not get regime change in Iran. Second, Rivian dropped in only 10% Friday. It got crushed. The cars look beautiful, but all I could think of when I think about the Rivian is my buddy in L A constantly trying to find charging stations. And in terms of Rivian, it's not alone in suffering. The other electric vehicle makers. Lucid Motors is down nearly 70% over the last 52 weeks and Tesla is down 30% year to date. Finally. Third, Amazon jumped 15% on Friday. Its AWS business is doing great. It's growing like fantastic. And that's where a huge amount of the profits come from. It hit 37% growth in the last quarter. That's an amazing jump for Amazon Web Services, who, which at some point was sort of slowing a little bit. The growth looked like. Now it's back to accelerating. That's a huge plus for Amazon stock. Amazon stock also its market cap has gone above $3 trillion again. So those are three of the big stories we're following this morning. The markets point up. Rivian dropped nearly 10% Friday. Electric vehicles stay in trouble. And Amazon jumped 15% Friday and looks up again today. Thank you for listening to the Becker Business and the Becker Private Equity Podcast. Thank you very much.
[02:21]
A
Grainger knows when you're a procurement manager for an office park, you're not managing one building, you're managing all of them. And to stay ahead, you need to see through walls and around corners. Lights about to fail. Filters ready to clog H Vac on its last leg. If you wait until something breaks, you're already behind. Count on Grainger for quality products, easy reordering and 24. 7 support. Call 1-800-Grainger click granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done.