The latest Market Talks covering Technology, Media and Telecom. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.
0754 GMT - Investor interest in Informa is likely to be revived after the U.K. government lifted its travel advice for some Middle Eastern countries, Citi analysts says. On Thursday, the U.K. government dropped its travel warning to U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia following this week's initial peace agreement between the U.S. and Iran, they note. Informa holds events in cities including Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The U.K.'s change in position could prompt other governments to follow, they say. "We think investors will increasingly turn their focus to full-year 2027 where Visible Alpha consensus implies +16% adjusted earnings per share growth." The U.S. banks upgrades its rating recommendation on the stock to buy from neutral and its target price to 990 pence from 850 pence. Shares are up 0.6% at 8.69 pounds. (najat.kantouar@wsj.com)
0708 GMT - NC Corp.'s earnings stand to benefit from longer monetization cycles of new intellectual properties including 'Lineage Classic' and 'Aion 2' games that show more durable post-launch revenue trends than ones before, CGS International's Joshua Kim says in a report. 'Lineage Classic' continues to demonstrate stable market share trends in Korea's Internet cafes, which should support further upside for NC's earnings. The brokerage observes 'Aion 2' is showing more gradual and sustained daily revenue trajectory, and lifts its 2026-2028 EPS forecasts for NC by 8.9%-46.1%. It raises the stock's target price to 400,000.00 won from 340,000.00 won, with an unchanged add rating. Shares closed 7.2% higher at 277,000.00 won. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
0248 GMT - Dagang NeXchange appears to be approaching an earnings inflection point, driven by growth in its semiconductor and energy businesses and supported by recurring income from its IT division, TA Securities analyst Chan Mun Chun says in a note. The market hasn't fully recognized the value of the SilTerra unit's position in the booming silicon photonics industry, which is benefiting from strong artificial-intelligence and data-center demand, he says. Dagang will likely turn profitable in 2026, with earnings further accelerating in 2027 and 2028 as SilTerra expands capacity and utilization improves, the analyst says. Higher oil and gas production, alongside growing recurring digital revenue are also supportive, he adds. TA Securities initiates coverage on Dagang with a buy rating and 0.66 ringgit target price. Shares are 6.5% higher at 0.41 ringgit. (yingxian.wong@wsj.com)
2106 GMT - Fitch Ratings assigned a BBB+ long-term issuer default rating for SpaceX, pointing to the company's leadership in commercial launches. Barriers to entry in that market are "functionally insurmountable within the rating horizon, alongside rapidly scaling recurring revenue from connectivity and terrestrial AI compute," the company says. SpaceX has also cut launch costs with proprietary rocket reusability, and its high flight cadence compounds those cost advantages over time, Fitch says. "Vertical integration across engines, avionics, satellites, and user terminals eliminates supplier margin and enables iteration speed that Fitch does not expect any competitor to approach within the rating horizon," Fitch says. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
2101 GMT - Moody's says its long-term issuer rating for SpaceX is constrained by execution and financial risks tied to its large-scale AI infrastructure buildout. Plans require a large amount of capital and carry a range of potential monetization outcomes. "Significant ongoing investments in AI and data center capacity, often supported by on-site power generation, introduce heightened operational, regulatory, and ESG risks, including increased scrutiny around emissions and energy sourcing," Moody's says. SpaceX also faces risks from its dependence on Starship V3, which is key to scaling across the connectivity and AI segments over the long-term. "Technical setbacks or delays in achieving full reusability or ramping launch cadence would constrain the company's ability to expand network capacity, thereby pressuring long-term revenue growth, margin expansion, and the overall credit profile," Moody's says. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
2055 GMT - S&P Global Ratings assigned SpaceX a BBB credit rating, which it says balances the company's intensive capital needs and a weaker competitive positioning of its AI business with strong foundations in its space and connectivity businesses and a modestly conservative financial policy. The rating doesn't include SpaceX's long-term plans for colonizing the moon and traveling to Mars, building data centers in space, and constructing a massive chip factory in Texas, which are "outside the scope of our ratings because many of these plans are not yet quantifiable," the agency wrote. "However, we note the potential need for long-term financing if these plans progress." It gave the company a stable outlook on the expectation that its adjusted leverage will remain below 2.0x despite its substantial planned investments. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)
2051 GMT - Moody's Ratings assigned a Baa1 long-term issuer rating to SpaceX, citing the company's strength as the leading orbital launch provider and operator of Starlink, the largest low earth orbit satellite broadband network. SpaceX benefits from growing recurring revenue from Starlink, and has an edge over competitors with the cost efficiency that comes with its vertical integration, the ratings agency says. Moody's also points to SpaceX's strategic relevance to the U.S. government as the primary launch provider for NASA and the Defense Department, which gives a window into long-term demand. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
1830 GMT - CoinMarketCap's "Crypto Fear and Greed Index" will likely close the shortened business week showing "extreme fear" among investors. The index is currently showing a score of 19 out-of 100, which is just at the cutoff between "fear" and "extreme fear." The index did move into "fear" earlier this week, but selling after hawkish commentary from new Fed Chair Warsh is weighing on cryptocurrencies. CoinMarketCap's data also shows a continued flow of money out of so-called "altcoins," or tokens beside bitcoin and stablecoins that trade on crypto exchanges. After a brief period posting gains, combined altcoin market capitalization is just above $900 billion, says CoinMarketCap. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)
1425 GMT - Yesterday's decision by the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates unchanged, along with comments from new Fed chair Kevin Warsh, continue to reverberate in the cryptocurrency market. "Bitcoin could remain at risk of further losses after the Federal Reserve signalled a more hawkish tilt following its latest monetary policy decision," says Joseph Dahrieh of Tickmill in a note. Hedge funds are still pulling back from bitcoin ETFs, according to data from CoinGlass--with the total net outflow seen at $82.2 million yesterday. Bitcoin is down 1% to $63,710, according to LSEG data, while ethereum falls 0.9%, XRP is down 2.7% to $1.15, and solana slides 1.7% to $70.81. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)
1256 GMT - Accenture CEO Julie Sweet says the company's recent quarter was hurt by the war in the Middle East. "We saw a revenue impact of approximately $100 million compared to our expectations, which was all consulting type of work, split evenly between the direct impact on our Middle East business and indirect effects outside of the region," she says on a call with analysts. Timing also affected the recent period, as several of Accenture's large managed-services opportunities moved into the coming year for company-specific reasons, Sweet says. Accenture sinks 15% premarket. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
1031 GMT - Informa's solid year-to-date performance should reassure, Bank of America analysts write in a note. The events and academic-publishing group reported underlying revenue growth of 6.4% for the five months through May 31, supported by growth in its B2B live events segment, despite uncertainty over the Middle East conflict, they say. "We expect investors to continue to look through short-term disruption and remain confident in the long-term growth outlook." Shares are up 2.5% at 8.61 pounds.( najat.kantouar@wsj.com)
0855 GMT - China's equities market may see increased growth in sectors beyond artificial intelligence, according to HSBC analysts in a research note. "The AI-centric rally has started to broaden out, with equity fundamentals now being the most important driver," they say. AI data-center-related sectors, such as the electronic fabrication and energy storage industries, are likely to become key beneficiaries, they say. Recently released economic data suggests domestic demand remains weak, so low-valuation sectors, such as consumer staples and healthcare, could take longer to bottom out, they say. (tracy.qu@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 19, 2026 04:20 ET (08:20 GMT)
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