The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
1138 ET - Apple looks like it will continue to buck a slowdown among its smartphone competitors, Citi analysts say in a note. The company has a strong foothold in the mid-range price segment through promotions and subsidies, and its premium brand and loyal customer base should limit any pressure on demand as it raises some prices to offset higher component prices, the analysts say. The company will likely keep gaining market share as a result, the analysts say, while they forecast the smartphone and personal computer market to decline at a mid- to high-teens rate.(kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
1132 ET - Water levels on the river Rhine have been tracking below levels seen in 2018 and 2022, when shipping faced severe disruption, Deutsche Bank's Marc Schattenberg says in a note. The Kaub water gauge, located in the narrow rocky stretch of the Middle Rhine, was at just 53cm on Monday. That means a typical container vessel can pass only if loaded to less than 20% of capacity, Schattenberg says. Firms face additional charges, generally rising as lower water levels force vessels to carry fewer containers. If the Kaub gauge falls to around 40cm or below, freight shipping is usually suspended, he says. The problem is compounded this year as the right-bank Middle Rhine line--a key freight route--is closed from July to December for refurbishment, Schattenberg notes. (edward.frankl@wsj.com)
1124 ET - The count of decking contractors reporting stronger-than-normal backlog levels is skewing positive for the first time in over two years, Davidson analysts Kurt Yinger and Aditya Madan say in a research note. Their survey of those contractors points to a modest acceleration in growth compared with recent quarters. There won't likely be a big boom of decking projects this year, as homeowners are still hesitant to move forward as they weigh the costs for materials and other elements of the project. Growth in the next three to six months should be consistent previous expectations, they say, keeping Trex as its top pick in the building products sector. (dean.seal@wsj.com)
1111 ET - The market's jitters around Netflix are excessive heading into the company's quarterly earnings, Oppenheimer analysts say in a note. Investors have concerns over weaker viewership, but the company has a stronger content slate set for the second half with 104 releases versus 95 in the same period a year earlier, which should allow viewing to accelerate. Wall Street's fears over churn are also overblown, the analysts say, citing a survey that suggests far more Netflix subscribers are watching more versus less compared to six months ago, even if some ad-supported subscribers have downgraded their subscriptions. Taking those factors into account, the analysts say the stock is likely oversold. They lower their price target to $100 from $120, noting a near-term headwind from lower advertising monetization. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
1048 ET - Bitcoin managed to stay rangebound last week, between the $62,000 to $64,000 range, according to data from CoinGlass. That's even with ongoing concerns surrounding the global inflation picture and bitcoin's viability amid sales of bitcoin announced by Strategy, owner of the largest bitcoin treasury in the world. "Bitcoin was tested from every direction last week," says analysts with Bitfinex, noting that the relatively narrow range that bitcoin traded at should be encouraging for investors. That said, the sentiment around inflation globally looks to keep bitcoin's movement to the upside limited, says the firm. Bitcoin is down 2.6% to $62,496. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)
1035 ET - BofA Securities forecasts a robust June retail sales report, aligning with the resilience consumers have shown in recent months despite higher inflation readings. However, there were four potentially large crosswinds to retail spending, and they had low conviction on how those factors netted out, they continued. Tailwind factors include World Cup spending, Amazon Prime day promotions, and other related promotions into June. Headwinds could include slowing gas prices (because retail sales are measured in nominal terms) and seasonal factors. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal expect a 0.2% month-over-month increase. (jessica.coacci@wsj.com)
1031 ET - The rebound in bitcoin prices seen late last week is under pressure to start this week, this as the Russia-Ukraine and U.S.-Iran conflicts are garnering more attention from investors that are worried about rising hostilities in both clashes. "Bitcoin [is] in retreat this morning breaking beneath $63K as the geopolitical escalation triggers negative factors for the crypto sphere," says Monte Safieddine of Capital.com in a note. Ongoing war is adding to concerns about rising inflation worldwide. Bitcoin falls 2.8% to $62,357. Other major cryptocurrencies are lower as well, with ethereum down 2.7% to $1,771, XRP dropping 2.5% to $1.07, and solana down 2.1% to $75.80. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)
1026 ET - DraftKings faces headwinds in its 3Q, as the NFL features 16 fewer games in the current quarter compared with last year, says Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey. He adds that the college football season also starts later, shifting games and betting opportunities out of 3Q. The online sports betting platform also faced unfavorable outcomes in 2Q with customer-friendly outcomes for the NBA playoff and the World Cup. But some 2Q customer winnings are being recycled into World Cup wagering, creating an opportunity for DraftKings recover part of its losses, Hickey said. (grace.yoon@wsj.com)
1015 ET - The median U.S. home-sale price rose 2.2% year over year to a high of $408,776 in June, Redfin says. U.S. existing-home sales ticked up 0.1% month over month to 4.4 million in June--the highest level since November 2022. Existing home sales rose 4.2% from last June. Affluent Bay Area and South Florida homebuyers were major drivers of June's strong housing market. Billionaires, executives and other ultra-wealthy Americans are moving to Florida and buying up expensive homes due to its favorable tax environment and sunny climate. The Bay Area is being driven by the AI boom, with a surge in luxury home sales driving prices up. Pending home sales ticked up 0.5% in June. (chris.wack@wsj.com)
0951 ET - Chipotle Mexican Grill is finally ready to put six straight quarters of negative earnings revisions in the rear view, Oppenheimer analysts Brian Bittner and Michael Tamas say in a research note. Their analysis suggests the downward cycle ends with its earnings update later this month. The chain is due for improved sales trends exiting 2026 with better traffic traction, some comparable sales drivers and a more impactful pricing strategy, the analysts say. High-efficiency equipment upgrades meant to improve food consistency and quality should be accretive as well, they say. Margins are also now well-positioned for the first time since 2024, the analysts say, reiterating their outperform rating. Shares rise 3% to $36.29. (dean.seal@wsj.com)
0942 ET - Dubai leads most major Gulf stocks lower due to falls in real-estate stocks. The Dubai Financial Market General Index falls 1.2%, while the real-estate index drops 2.3%, the steepest sector decline on the exchange. Dubai property sales value fell 5.1% and transactions dropped 8.1% in the week ended July 12, according to DXBinteract market data. Abu Dhabi's benchmark index drops 0.3% and Saudi Arabia's Tadawul All Share Index slips 0.2%. Qatar's market is closed for an official mourning holiday. (farhan.rafid@wsj.com)
0906 ET - Canadians are venturing into the U.S., but travel to their closest neighbor remains sharply lower in the wake of the Trump administration's threats and tariffs. Preliminary data indicate Canadian-resident return trips to the U.S. totaled about 1.7 million in June, up 3.2% on last year. This marks a third consecutive rise, driven in June by a 5.2% increase in journeys by vehicle that offset a 3.2% drop in travel by air, Statistics Canada says. However, compared with June 2024, Canadian-resident travel to the U.S. is down 28.7%, including a 29.6% fall in trips by automobile and 25% drop by air. Canada the same month did see a strong rise in visits spurred by the FIFA World Cup: teams from 15 overseas countries played in matched in Vancouver and Toronto and air travel from those countries was up 29,500, or 32.5% year-over-year. (robb.stewart@wsj.com; @RobbMStewart)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 13, 2026 11:39 ET (15:39 GMT)
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