The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
0740 GMT - Topsports' FY 2027 gross-profit margin could gain from Nike's plan to substantially reduce wholesale sales to the China market, say Citi analysts Xiaopo Wei and Vincent Young in a note. Supply of the U.S. athletic apparel maker's products in China is likely to significantly decrease in the coming quarters, based on the company's guidance, they say. They expect Nike to prioritize supply to Topsports, which is its number one retailer in China, over other retailers. The analysts anticipate Topsports to post FY 2026 results in line with expectations, as well as an industry-high dividend yield of around 9.0%. Citi opens a 30-day upside catalyst watch on the stock, while retaining its buy rating and HK$3.80 target price. The stock is up 7.1% at HK$2.73. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0737 GMT - European engine makers rise strongly as oil prices fall below $100 a barrel following President Trump's announcement of a two-week cease-fire with Iran. France's Safran climbs 11%, Britain's Rolls-Royce jumps 10% and Germany's MTU Aero Engines gains 6.2%. Defense and aerospace stocks are also on the rise. Airbus, Indra Sistemas and Babcock International Group are up 7%, 5% and 4%, respectively. Germany's Rheinmetall and Renk Group also advance while other household names in the sector show smaller gains. (cristina.gallardo@wsj.com)
0734 GMT - Shell's expectation of a flat liquefied natural gas trading result for the first quarter compared with the prior quarter might look slightly disappointing, but the U.K. energy giant's update shows the resilience of its operations, RBC Capital Markets' Biraj Borkhataria and Adnan Dhanani say in a research note. However, this reflects a pricing lag in LNG contracts as well as impacts from the conflict in the Middle East, the analysts say. A stronger oil trading performance should have been expected, they add. The Qatari outage was already known, so Shell's updated operational guidance looks resilient, according to RBC. Shares fall 7% to 33.19 pounds as oil stocks follow crude prices lower, but are still up 21% in 2026 to date. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)
0732 GMT - European airline and travel stocks rise in early trade after President Trump agreed to a two-week cease-fire with Iran, sending oil prices below $100 a barrel. Wizz Air, Air France and TUI are leading the charge--up 15%, 14% and 12% respectively. British Airways owner IAG is up 9.2%, while Lufthansa, easyJet and Ryanair rise 12%, 11% and 9.9% respectively. Travel company Jet2 shares are up 7.7%. In early European trading, the front-month Brent contract for June delivery slid 15% to $92.90 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate futures for May fell 18% to $94.63 a barrel. (ian.walker@wsj.com)
0731 GMT - Shares in European luxury groups trade higher following a U.S.-Iran cease-fire deal. The war poses another threat to the industry, which is already contending with lower demand and difficult market conditions in the key Chinese market. The conflict in the Middle East causes disruption of tourism flows, which account for a significant part of luxury goods sales. LVMH, the owner of brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior that is considered a bellwether for the industry, is up 6.7%. Shares in French peers Hermes and Kering climb more than 6.5%, while EssilorLuxottica, Burberry and Moncler also trade higher. Meanwhile, Italian companies Brunello Cucinelli and Salvatore Ferragamo jump 6.6% and 4.4%, respectively. Switzerland's Richemont and Swatch rise more than 6%. (andrea.figueras@wsj.com)
0727 GMT - Close Brothers said the total cost of a redress plan stemming from a probe into car loan agreements is estimated to be close to the amount it provisioned for it. The 320 million-pound estimate is slightly higher than its unutilized existing provision of 294 million pounds, and importantly way below the liability suggested by an activist investor, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods says in a research note. "Whilst we recognize that there are more important drivers of global share prices today than U.K. motor finance redress provisions, CBG's announcement...is an important piece of positive news," analysts write. They see considerable upside for the merchant bank's shares now that the mist is starting to clear. Shares rise 23%. (elena.vardon@wsj.com)
0727 GMT - Shares in U.K. house builders surged after Halifax's monthly report showed average year-on-year house prices increased in March and proved resilient despite uncertainty stemming from the conflict in the Middle East. Still, they did fall below the 300,000 pounds barrier and are the lowest so far this year, analysts at RBC Capital Market note. This suggests that rising energy and fuel costs, as well as rising mortgage rates, have hit spring's selling season, they say. Shares in Vistry are up 12%, followed by Persimmon, Barratt Redrow and Crest Nicholson, up 10%, 8.4% and 7.5%, respectively. Indexes across Europe rise in early trade after the cease-fire agreement between the U.S. and Iran. (anthony.orunagoriainoff@dowjones.com)
0723 GMT - European energy stocks fell at the opening bell after oil prices dropped below $100 a barrel following the two-week cease-fire deal between the U.S. and Iran. London-listed oil majors BP and Shell were down 7.8% and 6.3%, respectively. Equinor, Repsol and TotalEnergies shares were down 9.6%, 8.2% and 5.35%, respectively. In early European trading, the front-month Brent contract for June delivery slid 15% to $92.90 a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate futures for May fell 18% to $94.63 a barrel. (ian.walker@wsj.com)
0723 GMT - Asian equities extended gains in the afternoon session as risk sentiment improved on the cease-fire news. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average ended 5.4% higher, posting its biggest gain in one year. South Korea's Kospi rose 6.9%, supported by chip stocks. China's Shanghai Composite Index gained 2.7% while the tech-heavy ChiNext Index added 5.9%. As markets were positioned for a much worse outcome, investors were unwinding some of their disaster hedges following the conditional two-week cease-fire agreement, said Saxo Markets chief investment strategist Charu Chanana in a note. However, the cease-fire doesn't resolve all the underlying risks as investors still need clarity over whether hostilities will truly stop and whether the Strait of Hormuz remains reliably open, she adds. (sherry.qin@wsj.com)
0721 GMT - European blue-chip indexes jump at the open as markets welcome a two-week cease-fire agreement between the U.S. and Iran. Stocks rally across all sectors except energy, as the Europe-wide Stoxx 600 gains 3.7%. Germany's energy-sensitive DAX surges 4.6%, with industrials group Siemens jumping 8.2%, while Commerzbank gains 7.7%. Airline Lufthansa leaps 11%. The French CAC 40 moves 3.3% higher as luxuries rebound, while steelmaker ArcelorMittal jumps 13%. FTSE 100 is 2.3% higher, lagging behind other indexes as falling oil majors weigh--BP and Shell slide 7.5% and 6.7%, respectively. Banks jump, helping to push Spain's IBEX 35 up 3.6% and the Italian FTSE MIB up 3.8%. The Dutch AEX is 3.1% higher.(josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)
0719 GMT - A two-week cease-fire has been announced, but the road to peace remains precarious, and a first source of contention will be the scope of the ceasefire arrangement, SEB's Erik Meyersson says in a note. "Assuming this is resolved, the degree to which the cease-fire leads to a durable end to the conflict remains highly uncertain, given low levels of trust, and distant initial bargaining positions," the chief emerging markets strategist says. In his view, a more constructive interpretation is that both sides have realized that they each need to make concessions. "A key source of uncertainty is also the decision-making process, as well as the distribution of power, within the Iranian regime following significant leader turnover," he says. (emese.bartha@wsj.com)
0711 GMT - Avia Avian remains Nomura's preferred name in Indonesia's building-material space, Raghavendra Divekar says in a research report as the brokerage maintains the stock's buy rating. Reasons include the paint manufacturer's distribution network, which extends to third- and fourth-tier cities, and its favorable exposure to the underpenetrated domestic paint industry. The Indonesian company has also secured raw-material supplies through 1H, the analyst says. However, increases in Avia Avian's average selling prices might only partially offset rising raw-material costs, compressing gross margins in the near term. Nomura trims its 2026-2028 revenue forecasts for the company by an average of 3%. It lowers the stock's target price to 500.00 rupiah from 560.00 rupiah. Shares are 2.75% higher at 374.00 rupiah. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 08, 2026 03:40 ET (07:40 GMT)
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