Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Wall Street Lunch, our afternoon update on today's market action, news and analysis.

Good afternoon. Today is Tuesday, Augustth and I'm your host Kim Khan.

Our top story so far. A World Health Organization official

stressed in a media briefing that M. POCs, which was recently declared a

global health emergency, is not the new COVID.

Hans Klugi, W.H.O. Regional Director for Europe

stressed that regardless of whether it is the clade one strain behind the ongoing

outbreak in East Central Africa or the clade 2 strain behind the

2022 outbreak, authorities are aware of how to control its spread.

The 2022 outbreak in Europe was controlled thanks to the direct engagement with the most effective communities, he said.

And pox is a viral infection that causes flu-like symptoms and lesions,

and the WHO designated the current outbreak in Africa as a public health emergency of international concern last week.

That's the WHO's highest level of warning previously issued for the COVID-19 pandemic and Ebola.

Today we're seeing about 100 new Empox clade-2 cases

in the European region every month.

However, the current state of alert due to the clade one

gives Europe the opportunity to focus on Clade 2 to strengthen

Empock surveillance and diagnostics, Clougy said. Among active stocks, Lowe's

posted a mixed Q2 earnings report and lowered its full year guidance.

The retailer said quarterly comparable sales decreased by 5.1%, which was below the consensus

estimate for decline of 4.4%.

Based on lower than expected DIY sales and a pressured

...