The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
0751 GMT - UBS remains cautious on China's auto sector in 2026 and prefers companies with meaningful overseas exposure and intelligence themes such as autonomous-driving technology, says Paul Gong, head of China autos research. Every Chinese automaker targets significantly higher growth than the market consensus, he adds. While top Chinese automakers usually lead growth, the gap with smaller players has widened to 20% from 5%-10% before the Covid-19 pandemic. The analysts are more convinced by the overseas growth story and shift to tech-driven vehicles given slowing demand in the domestic market. Recent agreements between China and the EU on electric-vehicle tariffs help boost the theme, he adds.(jiahui.huang@wsj.com; @ivy_jiahuihuang)
0742 GMT - Artificial-intelligence could help digitize energy efficiency to fuel data centers, Schneider Electric Chairman Jean-Pascal Tricoire tells the WSJ Leadership Institute at Davos, Switzerland. Data centers need a lot of gigawatts, which are produced differently across countries. "So it's a lot about energy efficiency [and] the only way to get that done fast is digitize everything--smart building, smart manufacturing, smart cities," Jean-Pascal Tricoire says. "Make them more efficient with AI on, extract that wasted energy to supply it." (amanda.lee@wsj.com)
0719 GMT - Uber is planning to let AI make the calls in customer service, says CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. "We are empowering AI--we're throwing away all the rules and telling the AI: 'Use your common sense,'" he tells the WSJ Leadership Institute at Davos, Switzerland. That is much more powerful than just telling the AI to follow certain rules, he says. Businesses can put a thin AI layer on top of any process and improve it by 10% or 20%. But Uber's experience is that it often has to throw away an entire process and rebuild from the ground up to truly tap the enterprise power of AI. Uber plans to roll out the customer service AI gradually in smaller markets, says Khosrowshahi, where the inevitable mistakes will be less costly. (fabiana.negrinochoa@wsj.com)
0712 GMT - Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust's earnings visibility is likely to be anchored by cash flow from its Singapore properties, say DBS Group Research's Dale Lai in a note. The REIT's 2025 distribution per unit beat DBS's projection, he says. The REIT manager sees continuing growth in rental rates this year in its Singapore office portfolio, given tight supply conditions and active asset management, notes Lai. The analyst expects incremental upside to Suntec REIT's earnings depending on execution of its overseas segments and the interest-rate environment in 2026. The REIT is likely to focus on balance-sheet optimization and income stability instead of aggressive acquisitions, he adds. DBS maintains its buy rating while reviewing its target price of S$1.40. Units rise 2.8% to S$1.46.(megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0648 GMT - Geopolitical tensions aren't really a cause for concern for Uber's business, says Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of the ride-hailing giant. Even though Uber is a global brand operating in over 15,000 cities, it operates on the ground very locally, Khosrowshahi tells the WSJ Leadership Institute at Davos, Switzerland. "When you're in London and you open up your Uber and you get a ride, there's a London driver...and essentially the money flow goes from a person in London to another person in London." The money stays in the city, he says. As a result of operations being quite local, the ups and downs of one country's relationship to the other doesn't really affect the business, he adds. (fabiana.negrinochoa@wsj.com)
0646 GMT - BASF's weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter adjusted earnings are likely to drive consensus downgrades, J.P. Morgan analysts Chetan Udeshi and Angelina Glazova write in a note. The German chemical giant didn't provide a segment breakdown, so it isn't clear where the earnings miss originated, they say. Adjusted Ebitda was 14% and 10% below J.P. Morgan and Vara estimates, respectively, and fell 25% year over year, they add. The weaker adjusted earnings run rate could drive a further 2%-3% cut to 2026 consensus adjusted Ebitda and around a 5% downgrade to consensus adjusted earnings per share. (najat.kantouar@wsj.com)
0626 GMT - Perusahaan Gas Negara is likely to post stronger earnings in 2026, notes CGS International analysts after an analyst meeting with the company. Management expects higher gas distribution revenue and margins this year,driven by unsubsidised consumers, particularly from data centers. The Indonesian natural gas company targets 4% growth in trading and transmission volumes, supported by new supply areas and customer additions, the analysts say. To replace falling supply from pipeline gas, the company plans to order 22 liquefied natural gas cargos this year, 14 of which are already secured. The brokerage raises the target price to IDR2,250.00 from IDR1,850.00 with an unchanged add rating. Shares are 4.2% higher at IDR2,250.00. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
0620 GMT - Coliwoo's around 20% share in Singapore's "exponentially growing" co-living market gains it a new bull at DBS Group Research. The co-living operator dominates the supply pipeline and appears on track to fulfill its target of 4,000 room keys by the end of 2026, say analysts Geraldine Wong and Derek Tan in a note. Coliwoo could benefit from resilient demand, as the co-living sector serves foreign students and professionals, a community that is expanding. DBS initiates coverage of the stock with a buy rating and S$0.88 target price, pricing in additional operational beds above Coliwoo's target. Shares rise 0.8% at S$0.615. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0616 GMT - Bloom Energy CEO KR Sridhar says businesses cannot rely on existing electric grids to power AI. Speaking to the WSJ Leadership Institute at Davos, Sridhar argues that the world has gone from the mechanical age to the digital age. "Don't go to the mechanical age infrastructure and put all the bandaids," he warns, noting data center operators should seek to generate power on site. He expects AI proliferation to accelerate the adoption of clean energy. Energy standards aren't dependent on political cycles, but are driven by sheer economics. "The [energy] transition will ultimately happen because the market needs disruption," he adds. While roughly one-third of the company's current demand comes from data centers, Sridhar projects their needs to dominate Bloom's business in the coming years. (jason.chau@wsj.com)
0555 GMT - NTT Data Group CEO Yutaka Sasaki says 2026 will be the year of the AI agent and that artificial intelligence has reached a "pivotal moment." More "operational-type AI" agents could be introduced this year, he says at the WSJ Leadership Institute in Davos, Switzerland. As adoption grows, businesses may need to redefine how work is divided between humans and machines, he says. While roles were mainly human-led with AI contributing as support, the main role will be done by the AI this year while humans will have "some partial role", he adds. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0550 GMT - International Container Terminal Services is poised to benefit from capacity expansion, Maybank Securities' Germaine Guinto says in a research report. It formally took over operation of Durban's DCT Pier 2 in January, with capacity slated to expand to 2.8 million twenty-foot equivalent units from 2.0 million TEUs, the analyst says. Also, the port manager announced a multiyear expansion and modernization program for its Rio Brasil terminal, which is expected to increase capacity from 440,000 TEUs to 750,000 TEUs between 2025 and 2029. The brokerage incorporates the expansions into its 2026 forecasts, leading to 10% and 15% increases in capacity and volume assumptions, respectively. It raises the stock's target price to PHP730.00 from PHP650.00 with an unchanged buy rating. Shares are last at PHP626.00. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
0512 GMT - Bangkok Bank faces an earnings hit from lower investment gains and higher operating expenditures, UOB Kay Hian's Thanawat Thangchadakorn says in a research report. Based on the brokerage's checks with the Thai bank, no further material investment gains are expected that will support the bottom line. Also, the bank guides that the equity that is reported in other comprehensive income is currently marking losses. Moreover, Bangkok Bank says reductions in operating expenditures this year wouldn't be significant. The brokerage lowers its 2026 and 2027 earnings forecasts for Bangkok Bank by 12.9% and 9.7%, respectively. It cuts the stock's rating to sell from hold and the target price to THB140.00 from THB170.00. Shares are 0.6% lower at THB159.00. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
January 23, 2026 02:51 ET (07:51 GMT)
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