The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
0933 GMT - Kingfisher has strong EPS growth prospects given the likely structural growth in digital and trade, RBC Capital Markets analysts Richard Chamberlain and Manjari Dhar say in a note. The home-improvement company has developed a stronger digital and trade offering in the U.K. which can now be developed in other markets, the analysts say. They highlight longer-term margin drivers from marketplace, trade, retail media, better buying and use of AI. Kingfisher's shares have fallen markedly since the start of the Iran conflict mostly due to higher interest-rate expectations, but its direct exposure to the Middle East is very low, the analysts say. Shares are down 0.3% at 295.40 pence. (anthony.orunagoriainoff@dowjones.com)
0913 GMT - Nintendo's share-price drop was likely driven by a media report that the company reduced production of its Switch 2 console for the March quarter, according to Morningstar director Kazunori Ito. The output cut, if true, would be unsurprising, he says. Nintendo had indicated that December-quarter sales in Europe and the U.S. fell short of expectations. Ito notes that the console business faces headwinds, including slowing consumer demand and rising memory costs. But Morningstar isn't concerned about the Switch 2's long-term prospects, as Nintendo is expected to release more exclusive titles to encourage users of the original Switch to move to the new platform, he says. Nintendo shares close 4.8% lower. (jason.chau@wsj.com)
0849 GMT - European equity indexes are mostly lower in volatile early trade as the recovery sparked Monday by President Trump's more conciliatory comments falters. Energy-sensitive industrial and construction stocks lag as oil prices remain elevated. The Europe-wide Stoxx 600 edges down 0.05%. The industrial-heavy German DAX falls 0.6%, as industrial and chemicals companies drop while software company SAP loses 4.8% after an analyst downgrade. The U.K'.s FTSE 100 is flat as miners and industrials weigh on the index. In Paris, the CAC 40 is flat as gains for luxuries--sector bellwether LVMH is up 0.9%--are countered by falling industrials. Blue-chip indexes in Italy and Spain fall by 0.3% and 0.1%, respectively. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)
0839 GMT - China Aviation Oil (Singapore) could post a modest net profit growth this year on higher costs and likely flat associate contributions, CGS International analysts write in a note. The brokerage forecasts the company's 2026 net profit to expand 4% to US$115 million. China Aviation Oil reported a 42% jump in 2025 net profit. The jet-fuel trader is likely to maintain an expansion in gross margin, though could be offset by rising procurement and freight costs. Associate contributions is expected to remain flat, as higher inventory capacity may be offset by weaker refueling volumes if oil prices remain high throughout the year. CGSI maintains an add rating on the stock, but raises the target price to S$2.68 from S$2.63. Shares are 3.7% lower at S$2.08. (amanda.lee@wsj.com)
0833 GMT - CPU servers are gaining traction from inference-related workloads, Daiwa analysts say in a research note. Agentic AI applications such as OpenClaw and other similar AI tools are likely to drive higher-than-expected inference demand, they note. The adoption of AI agents could lead to higher token demand, as local agents need to interact with large language models more frequently to complete tasks and automate routine workflows, they say. The GPU and HBM combination is unlikely to be the most efficient solution for all inference use cases, they say, adding that ASIC- and CPU-based server solutions may play a more important role. Daiwa retains a positive view on Taiwan's data-center hardware sector, supported by continued hyperscaler capex growth. (sherry.qin@wsj.com)
0827 GMT - Alibaba Group's latest chip is unlikely to have a major impact on the company's overall revenue, Morningstar's Chelsey Tam says in a commentary. The launch of XuanTie C950 is a positive development for China's efforts to achieve self-reliance in advanced technology, Tam says. The chip could also improve supply-chain resilience amid scarce computing power and lower overall costs. But Tam notes that Alibaba's T-Head chip business generated revenue of more than 10 billion yuan in 2025, a fraction of the company's total revenue last year. Capacity constraints also make it hard for the company to increase chip production drastically, she adds. (tracy.qu@wsj.com)
0806 GMT - Bitcoin rises marginally following a recovery in U.S. and Asian stocks overnight after President Trump said the U.S. would postpone strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure. Trump said Monday the attacks would be halted for five days after constructive talks, allowing risk sentiment to rebound and boosting cryptocurrencies. However, Iran denied that such negotiations were held, keeping uncertainty elevated and limiting gains in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin edges up 0.5% to $71,267, LSEG data show. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)
0752 GMT - Gold prices are broadly flat after falling sharply in the previous trading session, with investors closely monitoring developments in the Middle East. Futures in New York trade at $4,405.50 a troy ounce, but remain down nearly 12% on the week. "The Middle East war continues to trigger a broad macroeconomic shock across global markets, forcing investors to reprice inflation, rates, growth, and liquidity conditions simultaneously," analysts at Saxo Bank say. "Gold is being sold because it remains one of the few liquid assets still showing gains over the past year." The precious metal is pressured by fears that high energy prices will fuel inflation and dampen hopes for further interest-rate cuts in the near term. Meanwhile, silver futures tick 0.2% higher to $69.47 an ounce, while platinum is down 0.4% to $1,856 an ounce. (giulia.petroni@wsj.com)
0750 GMT - The dollar rises along with oil prices as optimism over an easing of the Middle East conflict fades. President Trump said Monday that the U.S. would postpone military strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure for five days following constructive talks but Iran said no such talks took place. Trump's comments caused the dollar to fall as oil prices dropped and risk sentiment recovered but the moves proved short-lived given Iran's failure to confirm progress toward ending the conflict. The dollar is negatively correlated to risk sentiment as a safe haven and positively correlated to oil prices as the U.S. is a net exporter of the commodity. The DXY dollar index rises 0.3% to 99.231. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)
0746 GMT - Nordic markets are seen opening slightly higher with IG calling the OMXS30 up 0.3% at around 2901. Stock markets surged higher yesterday after President Trump reported productive talks with Iran and flagged a pause in attacks on energy and infrastructure for five days, SEB economist Pia Fromlet writes. However, some gains pared after Iran denied the talks. "Whether the crisis continues to escalate or if we have experienced another TACO [Trump Always Chickens Out] remains to be seen." Last night, there were reports of Iranian attacks on several countries. Most stock markets in Asia are higher, while futures in Europe and U.S. point lower. Danes head to the polls today in what is expected to be a close race in the Danish election, Fromlet adds. OMXS30 closed at 2892.19, OMXN40 at 2388.62 and OBX at 1901.00. (dominic.chopping@wsj.com)
0727 GMT - External demand is expected to support Malaysia's economic growth in 1Q, backed by a solid trade surplus and sustained export momentum from late 2025, says TA Securities analyst Farid Burhanuddin in a note. A surplus comparable to 4Q 2025 appears achievable, requiring less than 10 billion ringgit in additional surplus over the rest of the quarter, he says. However, risks remain. Weakness in intermediate goods exports and a stronger ringgit could weigh on near-term export momentum, he reckons. TA Securities maintains its 2026 export growth forecast at 4.6%, with imports rising 6.2%, keeping the trade surplus at around 135 billion ringgit. TA Securities is also watching for ringgit appreciation, persistent weakness in intermediate goods, escalating U.S. trade tensions and prolonged geopolitical uncertainty.(yingxian.wong@wsj.com)
0720 GMT - Li Ning's solid revenue growth guidance and likely better operating expenditure control gain it a new bull at CGS International. The Chinese sportswear company's 2025 results beat the analysts' expectations thanks to the running and training segments. The company is targeting high single-digit revenue growth in 2026 with flattish or slightly improving gross profit margin, which is stronger than CGS International's expectations, they say in a note. The analysts raise their 2026-2027 earnings per share projections by around 10%-12% due to wider-than-expected margin expansion. CGSI raises its rating to add from hold and lifts its target price to HK$26.20 from HK$19.20. Shares are up 4.3% at HK$21.98.(megan.cheah@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 24, 2026 05:33 ET (09:33 GMT)
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