The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
0930 ET - Huel fits in with where Danone already wants to operate, analysts at Barclays write in a note. Danone continually highlights it health-oriented portfolio, with exposure to the protein and performance nutrition category through YoPRO or Oikos products, the analysts say. "Huel adds something slightly different; a scaled consumer brand in everyday complete nutrition, with strong digital execution and a younger, more lifestyle-oriented consumer proposition," the analysts say. Huel can be positioned between Danone's main high-protein offerings, and those clinical nutrition products. Shares are up 0.6% at 68.94 euros. (aimee.look@wsj.com)
0917 ET - Danone's acquisition of Huel will be accretive to organic sales growth, analysts at J.P. Morgan write in a note. However, the deal will have a limited earnings per share accretion for the group, the analysts say. The deal is valued at around 1 billion euros ($1.16 billion), a source told Dow Jones Newswires. It still remains subject to closing conditions. Huel, which makes protein powders, bars and meals, will benefit from Danone's global reach, the analysts add. Danone shares are up 0.6% at 68.94 euros. (aimee.look@wsj.com)
0847 ET - Delivery Hero's deal to sell its delivery platform business in Taiwan to Grab fetched a good price and marks the first milestone in the company's strategic review process, J.P. Morgan analysts say in a research note. "We see the $600 million as a solid price well above market expectations," the analysts say. The German food-delivery company's deal provides evidence of management's ability to sell assets for prices above expectations, as the company has faced increased pressure to unlock value through disposals, they say. "While we welcome the move, it remains small in the wider context and 'big deal' scenarios (Korea, other MENA, Talabat) appear unlikely at this stage," according to JPM. Shares trade 7.5% higher at 16.44 euros. (sarah.sloat@wsj.com)
0814 ET - European banks jump following President Trump's Truth Social post announcing a pause in U.S. military attacks against Iranian energy infrastructure. A basket of European banks is 1.6% higher after falling as much as 3.2% earlier in the session. Investment banks with significant exposure to the Middle East climb most sharply. HSBC and Barclays climb 2.8% and 1.9% in London, respectively, while Santander surges 2.8% in Madrid. Trade is volatile following the president's post, with oil prices paring earlier losses as investors weigh the significance of the message and the Iranian response. "While this was the headline investors have been hoping for, the fact that Brent has rebounded back above $100 shows that markets remain sceptical," IG's Chris Beauchamp writes.(josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)
0805 ET - Sandoz Group looks well positioned to benefit from long-term opportunities in the biosimilar-drug segment, but its stock seems fairly valued after a strong performance in recent months, RBC Capital Markets' Natalia Webster and Charles Weston say in a research note. Sandoz last week added five drugs to a pipeline that already covered about $200 billion out of the $320 billion biosimilar loss-of-exclusivity market opportunity over the next decade, the analysts say. With a quiet period for patent expirations this year and next, there is limited room for near-term consensus estimates to increase, they add. RBC lowers its recommendation on Sandoz to sector perform from outperform and lifts its target price to 65 Swiss francs from 53 francs. Shares fall 1.6% to 59.84 francs, but are up 57% over the past year. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)
0749 ET - Shares in European airlines rise following President Trump's latest comments regarding the war in the Middle East. Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. and Iran have had "very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution" of hostilities in the region. Trump has instructed to postpone military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days, pending the success of discussions. Wizz Air gains the most, up 4.6%, followed by International Consolidated Airlines Group--which houses Iberia and British Airways--at 4.3%. TUI and Jet2 both climb 3.1%, Air France-KLM rises 2.7%, Ryanair advances 2.3%, easyJet is up 1.9% and Deutsche Lufthansa increases 1.8%. (cristina.gallardo@wsj.com)
0747 ET - European energy stocks trade lower as President Trump postpones further strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days after "productive" talks. Trump said in a Truth Social post that the U.S. and Iran had "very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East." Brent Crude falls 7.3% to $103.96 a barrel, while WTI slides 7% to $88.07 a barrel. Energy stocks have risen since the start of the conflict as oil prices jumped amid disruption to energy flows. Shares in Norway's Equinor fall 6.7% after being suspended. In London, BP and Shell both fall 3.8% and Harbour Energy is down 7.6%. Spain's Repsol drops 7% and France's TotalEnergies loses 2.7%. Italy's Eni is down 3.7%. (adam.whittaker@wsj.com)
0743 ET - Bitcoin rises sharply after U.S. President Trump posted on his Truth Social site that he would postpone military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days. This follows productive conversations with Iran over the last two days, which will continue, he said. Crypto currencies gain in line with improved risk appetite, as stocks rise and oil prices fall. Bitcoin is last up 4.2% at $71,050, having earlier fallen to a two-week low of $67,383, LSEG data show. Ether rises 5.3% to $2,164. (jessica.fleetham@wsj.com)
0738 ET - Norwegian preliminary oil and gas production data for February is slightly supportive for Equinor's first-quarter production outlook, UBS analyst Henri Patricot writes. The Norwegian Offshore Directorate figures show total hydrocarbon production averaged 4.41 million barrels of oil equivalent a day, up 5.7% on year and 0.7% above the NOD's forecast. Liquids production of 2.18 million barrels a day was up 13% on year and above the NOD's forecast, while gas production of 9.9 billion cubic meters was down 0.4% on year and slightly below forecast. Equinor's net production represents around a third of Norwegian oil and gas production. On a gross basis, the fields that Equinor produces from make up nearly 80% of total Norwegian production. Shares fall 6.5%.(dominic.chopping@wsj.com)
0737 ET - Shares in European luxury companies climb following President Trump's latest comments regarding the war in the Middle East. Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. and Iran have had "very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution" of hostilities in the region. Trump has instructed to postpone military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days, pending the success of discussions. Sector bellwether LVMH is up 3.2%, while peers Kering and Hermes trade 5% and 2.4% higher, respectively. Richemont's shares rise more than 5%. Brunello Cucinelli, Burberry and Salvatore Ferragamo jump more than 3%. Danish jeweler Pandora is up 12%, while EssilorLuxottica and Swatch Group climb more than 2%. (andrea.figueras@wsj.com)
0726 ET - European stocks do a 180 after President Trump heralded successful talks with Iran "regarding a complete and total resolution to our hostilities" regarding the Middle East conflict. Blue-chip indexes had fallen into correction territory in early trade as oil prices climbed further. But after Trump's Truth Social post, indexes surged into the green. The Europe-wide Stoxx 600 index pivoted to a 1.5% gain, while the industrial-heavy German DAX surges 2.5% higher after falling over 2% earlier in the session. France's CAC 40 jumps 2.6%. In London, the FTSE 100 gains 0.5%, though losses for oil majors that had been supported by higher energy prices weigh on the index. Spain's IBEX 35 is 1.9% higher, while the Italian FTSE MIB jumps 2.1%. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)
0702 ET - Novo Nordisk's Wegovy weight-loss pill launch continues to impress, UBS analyst Matthew Weston writes. Latest data show there were 89,279 total prescriptions for the Wegovy pill in its tenth week of launch, up 10% on the week, UBS says. There is also no material evidence that the pill is taking market share from the injectable market, it adds. The bank says sales volumes have risen due to the lower price point compared with the Wegovy injection, which is a positive as the company's guidance assumed more limited volume growth for the injectable product amid competition from the pill. Focus points later in the year will be Medicare obesity coverage from July, the high dose Wegovy launch and competitive dynamics from Eli Lilly's obesity pill launch. Shares fall 2.2%. (dominic.chopping@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 23, 2026 09:30 ET (13:30 GMT)
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