The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
1017 ET - Bitcoin prices have improved since finding a low of just below $63,000 in early February, according to data from CoinMarketCap. It has bounced more than $10,000 a token since then, with Zach Pandl of Grayscale suggesting in a note that bitcoin may have already set its near-term low. "Many recent buyers are back to breakeven-potentially signaling that Bitcoin has put in a durable market bottom in the $65,000 to $70,000 range," says Pandl. At $74,000, bitcoin transactions are seen as largely breakeven, says Pandl. Bitcoin is down 0.5% to $75,930 in morning trade, while ethereum has dropped 1.1% to $2,312. Privacy coin Monero is having a strong showing today, up 6.3% to over $375, according to data from LSEG. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)
1006 ET - TAG Immobilien has a German residential portfolio that supports the dividend with stable cash generation, and a Polish platform that promises growth, Barclays analysts say in a research note. The German real-estate company's attractive share valuation and improving capital allocation justify an upgrade to overweight from equalweight, Barclays says. "We are supportive of management's earnings accretive acquisitive strategy and return to growth, after years of disposals, and an acceleration in housing-unit production for sale in Poland," the analysts say. Over a five-year period, they expect TAG Immobilien to register average annual earnings growth above the sector average. Shares trade up 0.4% to 15.59 euros. (sarah.sloat@wsj.com)
0959 ET - UnitedHealth says it's seeing improved alignment between its pricing and medical costs trends. Healthcare costs, which have surged in recent years, are stabilizing, while higher prices are helping to preserve margin, the company says on its analyst call. High healthcare utilization is continuing, but it's stable with prior years and consistent with expectations. "Pricing is improving relative to elevated health care, cost trends and affordability initiatives," says Chief Executive Stephen Hemsley. UnitedHealth surges 9.3% in early trading. (nicholas.miller@wsj.com)
0953 ET - So-called bitcoin "whales," or wallets holding large amounts of the cryptocurrency, added 45,000 BTC to their wallets last week, says Cex.IO in a note. The firm defines whales as "holders with between 100 to 10,000 BTC," and the past week was the largest accumulation by these buyers since July 2025. Making it notable is that these big wallets all bought bitcoin at roughly the same time, says the firm. "In recent months they have mostly been accumulating separately, one group buying while the other held flat or sold," says Cex.IO. "This week they bought together, which suggests rising bullish momentum." Long-term holders have now added over 1 million BTC to their wallets in the past 3 months, says the firm. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)
0928 ET - RTX lifts its full-year outlook on the strength of its defense business. "The current landscape clearly underscores the need for munitions depth, integrated air- and missile-defense technology, and more advanced capabilities to counter evolving threats," CEO Chris Calio says on a call with analysts Tuesday, adding that he expects these areas to see significant funding increases in the 2027 U.S. defense budget. On the other side of the business, Calio says RTX's commercial aerospace continues to see durable demand, despite operating in a more uncertain environment. "Like all of you, we're closely monitoring global events while the environment is dynamic right now," he says. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
0926 ET -- RTX Chief Executive Chris Calio says the agreements that the defense contractor reached with the Defense Department earlier this year will allow RTX and its suppliers to invest and ramp production well above existing rates over the next decade. "These agreements are a significant step forward in the department's transformation initiative, and they are vitally important for national security," Calio says on a call with analysts Tuesday. He adds that RTX has already invested nearly $900 million over the past three years to increase its missile output, primarily at sites in Tucson, Ariz., Huntsville, Ala., and Andover, Mass. "We will continue to make significant additional investments going forward to advance production capabilities and add new manufacturing lines to support these agreements," Calio says. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
0923 ET - Most if not nearly all of the $500 million RTX added to its adjusted sales target this year is tied to munitions output, CFO Neil Mitchill says, a sign of the Pentagon's intense focus on pumping out offensive weapons and defensive interceptors. "We'll be able to meet that demand," Mitchill says in an interview. "What's really important is making sure that you don't start and stop production lines." RTX and others have struck agreements for long-term munitions orders, though many of those deals await firm contracts. (andrew.fitzgerald@wsj.com; @drewfitzgerald)
0918 ET - CrowdStrike is starting to see a tangible benefit from AI-driven cybersecurity demand, KeyBanc analysts say, upgrading the stock to overweight from sector weight. The analysts think Anthropic's model Mythos, which can identify and exploit software vulnerabilities, will drive companies to spend more on cybersecurity to protect themselves. The cyber threat of AI is also being communicated at the highest levels, including with the U.S. government and to the CEOs of the biggest U.S. banks, the analysts say. "With a clear and present risk, and executive/boardroom buy-in, this should lead to a meaningfully more conducive cyber budget environment," the analysts say. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)
0904 ET -- Colgate-Palmolive is uniquely positioned to succeed amid the uncertain global macroeconomic landscape, Redburn Atlantic analyst Edward Lewis says in a research note. He cites resilient growth opportunities in categories including pet food and in geographies such as Latin America, where foreign exchange is trending favorably this year. Lewis also notes that the company's absolute and relative valuation is below multi-year average levels. Colgate will likely continue to face pressure in the U.S., but new innovation could drive a recovery there, Lewis says. Additionally, while higher energy prices could pressure margins this year, Lewis says he sees earnings remaining resilient, given Colgate's strong track record on productivity savings. Redburn Atlantic upgrades Colgate to buy from neutral and raises its price target to $100 from $93. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
0829 ET - Kering's recovery plan could take time, particularly in a challenging luxury market, HSBC analysts say in a note. Last week, the French luxury group unveiled a strategy to boost growth at a time when the high-end sector contends with the consequences of the Middle East war. "While management provided a sensible plan to revive the company with sales growth going forward, it is likely to take time," the analysts write. The image of the group's Gucci label has been damaged in China, which will likely take management some time to repair, they add. The brand turnaround won't be easy in a volatile economic environment, the analysts say. HSBC downgrades its rating on the company's stock to hold from buy. Shares fall 1.2%. (andrea.figueras@wsj.com)
0733 ET - Toronto-Dominion Bank will be the first Canadian financial institution to allow customers to use virtual card numbers through Google as a payment option for online shopping. Virtual numbers will be available for TD Visa credit card holders who shop using Google Chrome and on in-app shopping, which the bank says offers a safer way to pay with a single click. A user's browser or app replaces physical credit numbers with a unique virtual card number, which hides personal payment card details from the merchant and protects against fraud. (robb.stewart@wsj.com)
0726 ET - Northrop Grumman plans to spend about $200 million more this year on capital expenditures, bringing its 2026 target to around $1.85 billion. The defense contractor's new capex forecast reflects upsized orders in major programs like the B-21 stealth bomber and brisker demand for components like missile rocket motors. Pentagon officials will likely welcome the increase after pushing companies to spend more on their own ahead of new contracts. (andrew.fitzgerald@wsj.com; @drewiftzgerald)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 21, 2026 10:17 ET (14:17 GMT)
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