The latest Market Talks covering Basic Materials. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.
0111 GMT - Petronas Chemicals' earnings outlook isn't expected to weaken immediately even as petrochemical prices normalize, says TA Securities analyst Luqman Anwar in a note. While petrochemical prices are unlikely to return to their April-May peaks, supply disruptions linked to the U.S.-Iran conflict could keep regional markets relatively tight and support product margins through 2026, he says. However, this support could fade as Middle East exports recover and capacity additions are made in China. Anwar expects petrochemical spreads and margins to weaken from 2027 onwards. TA Securities downgrades the stock's rating to sell from buy, and cuts target price to 4.32 ringgit from 6.56 ringgit. Shares are 1.7% lower at 4.03 ringgit. (yingxian.wong@wsj.com)
1826 GMT - Front-month gold futures settle down 3.4% to $3,990.30 a troy ounce, its lowest close for since early November, and its fourth consecutive losing session. The main catalyst for gold selling today came from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who predicted a return to 3% GDP growth by year-end in a CNBC interview. That would mean higher interest rates, says Peter Cardillo of Spartan Capital Securities. Cardillo adds that additional downside pressure could come as a result of the close under $4,000. Silver finishes down 6.4% to $58.052 a troy ounce. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)
1327 GMT - London mining shares tumble as gold prices fall below $4,000 a troy ounce for the first time since November 2025. Market expectations for Federal Reserve rate hikes drag on the non-yielding yellow metal, while a stronger dollar is weighing on gold prices as it raises the cost of buying for foreign buyers. A sharp fall in silver prices is also dragging miners. New York gold futures drop 4% to $3,984.40 a troy ounce, while silver futures drop 5.9% to $58.38 an ounce. Losses for London-listed Hochschild deepened throughout the trading day, with shares down over 9% in afternoon trade to a six-month low. Silver miner Fresnillo drops 5.1%, while Endeavour Mining--which specializes in West African gold--tumbles 5.25%. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)
0824 GMT - Resonac Holdings' earnings are likely to be driven by demand related to artificial Intelligence and data centers, Jefferies says. Resonac's semiconductor materials business got a boost in 1Q thanks to advanced logic and AI-related applications, the U.S. bank says. Meanwhile, the company's portfolio restructuring, including petrochemicals unit Crasus Chemical's planned initial public offering, is likely to further improve its return on invested capital. Jefferies maintains a buy rating on Resonac and raises its target price to 24,000 yen from Y14,500. Shares close 3.3% lower at Y17,750. (kosaku.narioka@wsj.com; @kosakunarioka)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 25, 2026 04:20 ET (08:20 GMT)
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