Wall Street's roller coaster; Oil companies struggle; Game of Thrones bonus

Wall Street looking to finish the month on a high note after a wild July where the Nasdaq (^IXIC) set record highs and the S&P 500 (^GSPC) jumped to near-record highs...with big dips on either end.

Yahoo Finance Senior Columnist Michael Santoli says the month was like deja vu all over again for the stock market.

"At least since February, it's been volatile but within a tight range," he notes. "You have these very rapid moves that people have a hard time catching. And you have this divergence of very heavy global cyclicals and commodity-related industries and that very small group of favored growth names."

Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App

Exxon Mobil hurt by oil price drop

Here are some of the stocks the Yahoo Finance team will be following for you today.

Exxon Mobil (XOM) The biggest U.S. oil producer's second quarter earnings fell short of estimates,  although revenue came in higher. Exxon Mobil says profit from exploration and production sank 75% in the period as fuel prices declined.

LInkedIn (LNKD) Shares are taking a beating this morning, which may come as a surprise since the professional networking site company blew the doors off earnings and revenue forecasts in the quarter.  And the stock jumped initially until it was noted that LinkedIn said future revenue contributions from its recently purchased Lynda.com site would be more than analysts had anticipated.  That is fueling concerns about the company's core business growth.

Amgen (AMGN) The biotech firm solidly beat profit estimates in the quarter...and revenue topped forecasts as well. Amgen credits a 6% increase in total sales as well as cost-cutting measures for its better-than-expected results.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL)  The cruise company's quarterly profit topped estimates...while revenue was in line.  Royal Caribbean points to a uptick in business in the Caribbean and China.

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCL) Shares are bubbling up this morning after the Wall Street Journal reported the company is exploring the possibility of teaming up with two other European bottlers of the famous soda.  The paper says the consolidation would cut costs as sales of Coke (KO) decline on the Continent.

China's Olympic redux

This morning, the International Olympic Committee named Beijing as the host of the 2022 winter Olympics. This makes China's capital the first city to host both summer and winter Olympics.

Yahoo Finance's Aaron Task thinks the high price tag for putting on the Olympics might actually be beneficial for China.

"You can look at this as potentially a stimulus program for a country whose economy is struggling", he says.  "They're going to be spending a lot of money and right now their economy needs a jolt, so maybe this is something that can get them going again."

Facebook (FB) just completed work on a solar-powered drone that can beam the internet to remote and hard-to-reach areas. The social media site hopes the drones will help in its effort to connect the nearly four billion people around the world who don't have access to the Internet.

SoulCycle, the popular indoor cycling fitness boutique, just filed for an IPO. The company reported that it  earnings jumped 42% from 2013 to 2014, with a net profit of more than $25 million.

Fantasy hit, Game of Thrones, will now run eight seasons or more, according to HBO's (TWX) programming president. The show, which just completed its 5th season, was expected to end after season 7.

More from Yahoo Finance
Uber’s new plan to get you behind the wheel
Facebook’s 'Hail to the Chief' profit
Hollywood’s new money grows in a China grove
Millennials have a new suitor