The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
1748 ET - Australian equities look set to tumble in early trade after President Trump and Iran traded threats to hit key infrastructure. Local stock futures are down by 1.8% ahead of Monday's session, suggesting the S&P/ASX 200 will add to the hefty losses compiled across three consecutive weekly declines. The benchmark index is 8.4% lower in March. It hasn't lost that much across a full month since June 2022. Ten of the ASX 200's 11 sectors are down so far this month, with the heavyweight materials sector 19% in the red. The outlier is the energy sector, which is up by 16% and could be poised for further gains on tight fuel supply and higher oil prices. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
1721 ET - Jefferies's price targets on Ampol and Viva Energy rise after Australia's government resets the Fuel Security Services Payment. Payment now starts at A$0.10 per liter, equivalent to around US$11.10 a barrel. That's higher than 6.4 Australian cents per liter, or US$7.22 per barrel, on offer before. Analyst Michael Simotas says the change is positive but probably won't be needed, given a very strong refining backdrop. "More important, it reinforces crucial importance of Australia's last two refineries to fuel security and positions Viva and Ampol well to negotiate favorable long-term solution," Jefferies says. It sees a path to something like a regulated return on refinery capital, which would be positive for valuations. Jefferies's price target for Ampol rises 14% to A$36.50/share, and lifts 16% to A$2.20/share for Viva. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 22, 2026 17:48 ET (21:48 GMT)
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