The latest Market Talks covering Financial Services. Exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.
0817 GMT - Hong Kong shares closed in the red Monday, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index ending 3.5% lower at 24382.47. Asia's heavy reliance on Middle Eastern energy has left markets reeling from the fallout of the war in Iran, says WRISE Private Singapore's Jude Lin in an email. The deliberate targeting of critical energy infrastructure across the Gulf has also spooked investors and driven the market into a definitive risk-off mode, he adds. Among the Hang Seng Index's constituents, Laopu Gold led the losses, closing 8.6% lower ahead of its earnings release. China Hongqiao ended 8.1% lower, while AIA fell 7.8%. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0813 GMT - The Middle East conflict has started to affect Japan's closely watched annual wage negotiations, clouding the outlook for whether the positive cycle of higher pay leading to more spending and mild inflation will continue. Some oil-related firms have requested a delay in finalizing wage talks in the wake of heightened geopolitical risks, a labor union official says. Preliminary data from Japan's largest labor union group shows its members secured wage increases of 5.26% on average. That is slightly higher than the 5.25% gain recorded in the final results for last year, but lower than the preliminary 2025 figure of 5.46%. (megumi.fujikawa@wsj.com)
2334 GMT - Hub24 gets a new bull at Macquarie following the stock's recent material derating on concerns about AI disruption and broader conflict-related selling. One of the investment bank's analysts tells clients in a note that the Australian wealth platform should continue to take market share over the next one to two years. Raising their recommendation to outperform from neutral, they forecast annual earnings growth of more than 20% over the medium term. Worries about risks from AI-driven disruption are overblown, the note adds. Its target price is cut 13% to A$92.25. Shares are down 2.8% at A$77.05. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
2317 GMT - National Australia Bank loses its bull at Macquarie, which warns of the potential hit to business customers from oil-price linked inflation. Lowering their recommendation to neutral from outperform, Macquarie points out that customers in agriculture and transport are particularly exposed due to rising fuel and fertilizer costs. It flags manufacturing and construction as being vulnerable to higher energy costs and any global trade disruption, adding that disruption to fuel supply could deliver a broad hit. NAB is the Australian lender most exposed to higher-risk sectors, it says. Macquarie cuts its target price by 3.2% to A$45.50/share. Shares are down 2% at A$44.65 early. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
2242 GMT - Macquarie analysts move to an underweight position on Australian banks, citing earnings risks stemming from the Iran conflict. They see the inflationary impact of higher oil prices increasing the likelihood of interest-rate hikes, which would put further pressure on consumers and discretionary spending. This in turn could weigh on lenders' credit growth and contribute to higher rates of arrears, Macquarie says. "While the situation remains highly uncertain and fragile, we expect banks to take provision overlays in upcoming results, with impairment charges likely to rise vis-à-vis our current base case," Macquarie says. It downgrades fiscal 2026 bank earnings forecasts by 1-2%. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 23, 2026 04:20 ET (08:20 GMT)
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