The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
0851 GMT - Central banks across Asia have struck a cautious tone around tensions in the Middle East, says OCBC's Lavanya Venkateswaran. The pain from higher energy prices and reduced oil and natural gas imports is akin to a gut punch for economies like India, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, she says. These economies are net energy importers and, absent subsidies, will see building inflationary pressures. Authorities in India, Thailand and Vietnam can shift some of the subsidy burden off-budget, but that kicks the can down the road, the senior economist says. Indonesia and Malaysia can buffer the impact with fiscal cushions, but the duration and persistence of higher oil prices will significantly affect their ability to keep fiscal backstops in place. (fabiana.negrinochoa@wsj.com)
0849 GMT - Crest Nicholson's business update is robust as it reported a sustained improvement in sales rates since the middle of January, RBC Capital Markets analysts Anthony Codling and Oliver Dyson say in a note. The house builder also reiterated guidance of open market sales units of 1,100 to 1,200, with total sales including bulk deals of 1,550 to 1,625 units. This compares with Visible Alpha consensus of 1,641 units, the analysts say. Adjusted pretax profit is expected in a 32 million to 40 million pounds range, which is 2.8% above consensus, they say. "Following a period of sustained weakness in the share price, we expect the share price to react positively to [Wednesday's] news," the analysts say. Shares are up 13% at 1.13 pounds. (anthony.orunagoriainoff@dowjones.com)
0844 GMT - Airline stocks rise after oil prices fell on reports that the U.S. sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the Middle East conflict and that Iran would allow "non-hostile vessels" through the Strait of Hormuz. Air France and Wizz Air were the biggest gainers--rising 3.9% and 3.1%,respectively. Closely behind are British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group, easyJet and Lufthansa--rising 2.5%, 2.6% and 2.3%, respectively. Brent crude is down 4.5% at $95.72 a barrel, while WTI falls 3.9% to $86.28 a barrel. (ian.walker@wsj.com)
0828 GMT - London's mining stocks gain in opening trade on optimism that there could be a path to de-escalation in the Middle East. Oil prices are moving lower while stocks that were weighed down by inflation fears and the risk of higher interest rates are getting a boost, Hargreaves Lansdown's Matt Britzman writes. The prospect of a meeting between Washington and Tehran later this week is offering optimism that there might be a route to de-escalation. Precious metal miners Fresnillo, Hochschild Mining and Endeavour are all up over 3%. Anglo American rises 3.5%, while copper miner Antofagasta trades 3.2% higher. Glencore gains 1.55%. (adam.whittaker@wsj.com)
0822 GMT - SATS Ltd. appears relatively resilient to the oil-price surge from the Middle East conflict, say Maybank Securities' Liu Miaomiao and Eric Ong in a note. The air-cargo handler's diversified global network and limited exposure to the Middle East is likely to support its near-term earnings, they say. Oil prices above $100 a barrel are more of a demand headwind than cost driver for SATS, as it has no direct fuel exposure, they note. Still, the company faces key risks from second-order effects, such as reduced airline capacity, flight rerouting and uncertainty around jet-fuel availability, the analysts add. Maybank Securities retains its buy rating and S$4.52 target price. Shares rise 0.55% to S$3.63. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0822 GMT - European blue-chip indexes jump at the opening bell on cautious optimism that the Middle East conflict is de-escalating. Energy is the one outlier as nearly all sectors gain, with the Europe-wide Stoxx 600 gaining 1.2%. The energy-sensitive DAX climbs 1.7% in Frankfurt as industrials gain, with Siemens opening 2.8% higher. In Paris, the CAC 40 is 1.4% higher as construction companies and banks gain--industrials group Legrand is up 2.8%. A bump for precious metals helps London miners, though energy companies restrict the FTSE 100's gains to 0.8%. Italy's FTSE MIB and the Spanish IBEX 35 are both around 1.4% higher. Airline group IAG is up 2.5%, while cable manufacturer Prysmian jumps 3.5% in Milan. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)
0817 GMT - European energy stocks fall as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East push oil prices lower. Brent crude falls 4.5% to $95.76 a barrel while WTI drops just over 4% to $85.96 a barrel. The U.S. has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war while mediators are pushing for a meeting between Washington and Tehran later this week. In London, Shell drops 1.6% while BP falls 0.8% and Harbour Energy slides nearly 3.5%. Italy's Eni trades 2.6% lower while Spain's Repsol falls 1.5%. Norway's Equinor slides 2.2% and France's TotalEnergies drops 1.4%.(adam.whittaker@wsj.com)
0814 GMT - Bitcoin rises as risk appetite recovers on more positive developments in the Iran war. The U.S. has sent Iran a 15-point plan to end the war, WSJ reports, citing officials. Separately, President Trump on Tuesday told reporters during an Oval Office event that he was more confident of Iran's willingness to come to an agreement. Mediators from Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan are pushing to have a meeting arranged between U.S. and Iranian officials in the next 48 hours. However, Iran has signalled a high bar for re-entering negotiations. A spokesman for Iran's armed forces also suggested the U.S. was negotiating with itself to get out of a "strategic defeat." Bitcoin rises 1.3% to $70,978, LSEG data show. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)
0807 GMT - While U.K. inflation is set to accelerate in the months ahead, the bar for the Bank of England to raise interest rates remains high, KPMG U.K. chief economist Yael Selfin says. Annual inflation was 3.0% in February, unchanged from January. "Weakness in the labor market and the wider economy should limit the extent to which inflation becomes more persistent," she says in a note. If the Middle East conflict concludes in the coming weeks, the bank could keep rates on hold until the second half of this year and resume its easing cycle in November, she says. However, there remains risks that inflation could push sharply up in the third quarter onward if disruptions to energy supplies persist, she says. (edward.frankl@wsj.com)
0804 GMT - The sale of Indian cricket franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for roughly $1.8 billion will help U.K. drinks giant Diageo reduce debt, RBC Capital Markets analysts say in a research note. The deal between Diageo's 55.9%-owned subsidiary United Spirits and a Blackstone-backed consortium comes as no surprise, and the price is in line with expectations, according to RBC. If USL hangs onto the sale process, Diageo's net debt-to-Ebitda ratio would fall by around 0.2 times, but it seems more likely the subsidiary will declare a special dividend and Diageo would get its 55.9% share, the analysts say. If a special dividend is declared, Diageo's net debt-to-Ebitda ratio would fall by 0.1 times, the analysts estimate. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)
0800 GMT - ASOS seems to be taking the right steps as it continues on a recovery journey, analysts at Berenberg say in a note. The U.K. online fashion group's sales trend is heading in the right direction, improving sequentially in its fiscal first half, they say. Moreover, the adjusted gross margin came in stronger than anticipated, the analysts say. "We are constructive on ASOS's ongoing recovery potential," Berenberg says. The company is also strengthening its customer engagement. "We find this encouraging as new customer growth could be a leading indicator for sales recovery," the analysts say. Shares closed at 2.12 pounds Tuesday. (andrea.figueras@wsj.com)
0758 GMT - WH Group's U.S. and Europe operations could provide further earnings upside, say DBS Group Research analysts in a note. The Hong Kong-based pork company's ongoing efficiency improvements and streamlined hog production should sustain profitability in the U.S., despite hog farming costs potentially rising. Packaged-meat margins should be partly supported by product-mix optimization, they add. Meanwhile, WH's Europe operations face near-term cost pressures from energy, but efficiency gains and pricing discipline should help mitigate any drag. The analysts reckon the company's measures will support high-single-digit growth for the bottom line this year. DBS retains its buy rating and is reviewing its HK$10.80 target price. Shares rise 7.1% to HK$10.08.(megan.cheah@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 25, 2026 04:52 ET (08:52 GMT)
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