The latest Market Talks covering the Auto and Transport sector. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.
1317 GMT - Canadians still aren't flocking to the U.S. Preliminary data indicates return trips from the U.S. by Canadian residents totalled about 2 million in March, a 7.6% drop on last year when President Trump's tariffs kicked in. The drop includes a 4.5% fall in return trips by automobile and 13.8% slump in air travel, Statistics Canada says. In contrast, Canadian-resident return trips from overseas countries by air totalled 1.5 million in March, up 4.9% on-year. Statistics Canada notes that for the third consecutive month a greater number of Canadian residents returned from overseas by air than from the U.S. by auto. U.S.-resident trips to Canada increased 4% in March to 1.1 million, a second straight rise after 12 consecutive months of year-over-year declines. (robb.stewart@wsj.com; @RobbMStewart)
1245 GMT - AutoCanada continues to make progress in its move to fully divest from the U.S. market. The automobile dealership group says it has sold off a Hyundai dealership in Lincolnwood, Illinois, which is part of the company's strategy to leave the U.S. market to focus on Canada. The sale fetches about C$3.3 million, and the company says it has now realized about C$65.8 million in gross proceed from the divestiture of U.S. assets. AutoCanada says it continues to expect proceeds from the sale of all its U.S. dealerships to be at the upper end of its previously disclosed C$115 million to C$130 million range. (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)
1139 GMT - As oil prices climb on President Trump's pending blockade at the Strait of Hormuz, stocks in several sectors are on the move. Energy companies Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Diamondback Energy are trading between 2% and 3% higher premarket. Meanwhile, airline and cruise stocks are in the red again, after briefly benefiting last week from investor hopes for the resumption of energy flows through the Strait. Delta Air Lines and United Airlines are down 2% and 3%, respectively, while Royal Caribbean and Carnival fall 3% and 4%. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
0928 GMT - J&T Global Express is estimated to report volume growth of 45% in Southeast Asia markets this year, thanks to strong growth momentum, DBS analysts write in a note. The company posted robust 2025 annual results on strong demand in both international and domestic markets. J&T is projected to see 10% volume growth in the China market and 90% growth in new markets this year with scale benefits, they add. The company generated positive free cash flow of HK$494 million last year and repurchased HK$500 million worth of shares during the year, signaling confidence in its long-term prospects, DBS adds. (jiahui.huang@wsj.com; @ivy_jiahuihuang)
0922 GMT - Prospects for the European airline industry are extremely volatile, but the impact of the Iran war won't be felt in their first-quarter results, Barclays says. This is because airlines will have had notably high fuel hedging in March, while January and February were unaffected by the conflict, they say. First-quarter results should therefore not be taken as indicative for the rest of 2026, they add. However, Easter-related unit revenues in late March may well have been weakened, they say. Airlines are seeing increased risks of fuel shortages in coming months, and seven Italian airports already face shortages of fuel this week, Barclays says. (cristina.gallardo@wsj.com)
0909 GMT - China's auto market has seen some recovery on demand in March, but not enough, Nomura anlaysts write in a note. There has been a gradual improvement in momentum over the past few weeks for EV players in the domestic market due to new model launches or de-stocking of some old models. Market sentiment is expected to improve further on the upcoming Beijing Auto Show in late April, they add. That said, Nomura remains cautious on domestic market demand this year and await further catalysts for the sector while exports and overseas market will continue to be a key support for the China auto industry for the rest of the year, Nomura says. (jiahui.huang@wsj.com; @ivy_jiahuihuang)
0735 GMT - European oil stocks open higher after President Trump's announcement that the U.S. military would blockade the Strait of Hormuz sent oil prices rising. British oil majors Shell and BP gain 1.2% and 1.1%, respectively, while their peers like France's TotalEnergies and Italy's Eni pare back initial gains to rise 0.9% and 0.7%. The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil & Gas index is up 0.6%. "The announcement of a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz effective [Monday], an apparent refusal by Iran to abandon their nuclear ambitions and the likelihood of a renewed conflict led to another surge in the oil price, as a 7% rise lifted the level once more to over $100 per barrel," Interactive Investor's Richard Hunter says. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)
0730 GMT - Ryanair and British Airways owner IAG would likely perform better than their peers if fuel prices fall, but also if the earnings environment deteriorates further, Bernstein says in a note. In the latter scenario, Ryanair and IAG's competitors would be forced to cut capacity first, the analysts say. Bernstein raises its rating on Ryanair to outperform from market perform, citing its high margins and strong balance sheets. Meanwhile, it downgrades ratings on both easyJet and Wizz Air to market perform from outperform due to uncertainty over fuel prices. Wizz Air falls 6.7%, easyJet retreats 3.9%, Ryanair is down 2.7%, and IAG loses 2.6%. (cristina.gallardo@wsj.com)
0729 GMT - European airlines shares fall in opening trade after the price of oil climbed back above $100 a barrel on President Trump's vow to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. Wizz Air and easyJet--which were subject to rating downgrades by Bernstein before the market opened--see the biggest falls at 7.2% and 4.2%, respectively. Deutsche Lufthansa is down 3.9%, Air France-KLM loses 3.2%, while Jet2 falls 2.6% and International Consolidated Airlines Group--owner of British Airways and Iberia--drops 2.5%.(cristina.gallardo@wsj.com)
0712 GMT - Lasting peace still looks a long way off in the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran, XTB research director Kathleen Brooks writes in a note to clients. Peace talks in Pakistan broke down over the weekend, and President Trump said the U.S. would blockade the key Strait of Hormuz in response to Iran's own blockade of the strait. Oil prices again surged, and any process back toward a permanent cease-fire and reopening of the waterway will be lengthy, Brooks says. "If there are plans for more talks, then any selloff at the start of this week could be scaled back," she notes.(joshua.kirby@wsj.com; @joshualeokirby)
0634 GMT - Gold prices fall as President Trump's threat to block the Strait of Hormuz raised fears of a prolonged energy supply shock, pushing oil back above $100 a barrel. "The sharp decline in the oil price last week restored confidence in the deflationary narrative and revived the prospect of Federal Reserve rate cuts later this year," said Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB. "However, a surge in the oil price is likely to put further rate cut hopes to bed for now." Geopolitical risks typically boost gold's appeal as a safe-haven asset, though a higher interest rate environment weighs on the non-yielding metal. In early European trading, New York gold futures are down 0.8% to $4,748.70 a troy ounce. Silver falls 2.5% to $74.57 an ounce, while platinum is down 0.7% to $2,051.60 an ounce. (giulia.petroni@wsj.com)
0620 GMT - J&T Global Express likely has sufficient cash flow to support sustained investment in its infrastructure, say DBS Group Research analysts in a note. The company generated free cash flow of US$494 million in 2025, compared with US$252 million in 2024, the analysts note. The logistics provider's larger planned capital expenditure is likely to enhance its operating efficiency and strengthen global service capabilities, they add. DBS raises its 2026 and 2027 Ebitda projections to US$1.3 billion and US$1.6 billion, respectively. The bank raises its target price to HK$13.50 from HK$12.50 and maintains a buy rating. Shares fall 1.7% to HK$10.90. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 13, 2026 12:20 ET (16:20 GMT)
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