The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
1051 ET - General Motors is working to quickly scale its defense unit, which is expected to log almost $700 million in revenue this year. The company is building a backlog of future business, vying for military and defense contracts, CEO Mary Barra says on a call with analysts. GM is also collaborating with "leading companies" such as Lockheed Martin to support the defense industry. "We're focusing our efforts on strengthening supply chain management, improving manufacturing readiness, and expanding production capacity in ways that serve the United States and its allies," Barra says. "Over time, all of this should make GM Defense a more meaningful and diversified contributor to our earnings." The partnerships come as stockpiles have dropped because of the wars in Ukraine and Iran, and as the Trump administration and Pentagon officials have pressed weapons makers to accelerate production with the help of other manufacturers. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
1016 ET - President Trump is threatening to impose a 50% tariff starting on Aug. 19 on roughly $20 billion in Canadian exports, citing Canada's discriminatory treatment of U.S.-made automobiles, dairy product and alcohol. The Washington-based Distilled Spirits Council offers a lukewarm response to the tariff news. "We appreciate the administration's recognition of the significant damage" done to U.S. distillers, says council CEO, Chris Swonger. Nearly all Canadian provinces have banned the sale of U.S. spirits and wines at their government-run liquor outlets. "We had hoped, however, this issue could be resolved without further escalation," Swonger says, warning the 50% tariff could trigger new retaliation from Ottawa that threatens to further harm America's hospitality sector. (paul.vieira@wsj.com; @paulvieira)
1011 ET - The streak of bitcoin outflows has given way to a different streak of money coming back to bitcoin ETFs, with CoinGlass reporting its fifth consecutive net gain on those ETFs as of yesterday. The amounts coming in for bitcoin ETFs have also picked up, with $226.8 million entering into bitcoin yesterday. CoinGlass says that inflows have totaled $727 million over the course of those five days. Prior to this, bitcoin had weeks of outflows, with fund managers selling their positions amid speculation of impending rate hikes from the USDA. Bitcoin is up 2.1% to $66,713. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)
1004 ET - Just over one-third of U.S. house hunters say a "clean" home--one with high-end filtration systems for air, water, etc.--is one of the most important features in the next place they live, Redfin says. That makes it the most common priority for prospective homebuyers, along with security systems. Views come in third, followed by smart-home technology. Backup power generation--such as solar panels or generators--rounds out the top five. Climate resilient upgrades or features are also fairly important to prospective buyers, with one in seven ranking it as one of their top considerations. Features that take health and climate risks into account are ranked higher than luxurious upgrades like home theaters, outdoor kitchens or tennis courts. (chris.wack@wsj.com)
0959 ET - The fear that has dominated cryptocurrency trading is starting to break, according to data from CoinMarketCap. It's Fear and Greed index has risen to a reading of 40-out of-100, a 'neutral' rating up from ratings in 'fear' territory seen since May. While this a hopeful sign for investors, analysts warn that other signs of continued weakness in the market remain. One is that bitcoin dominance of the entire cryptocurrency space remains high at around 60%, according to CoinMarketCap data -- with investors unwilling to risk money on more-volatile altcoin options. "This rotation underscores a definitive de-risking phase across the digital asset landscape," says analysts with Bitfinex in a note. Other major cryptocurrencies follow bitcoin higher, with ethereum up 1.2%, XRP up 2.2%, and solana climbing 0.5%. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)
0952 ET - General Motors CFO Paul Jacobson says global deliveries have been hurt this year by the company's decision to discontinue certain vehicle models, as well as a significantly smaller electric-vehicle market and tight dealer inventory, particularly near the beginning of the year. Global deliveries fell to about 1.43 million vehicles in the second quarter, down 7.2% from a year ago. Looking ahead, though, Jacobson says on a call with analysts that GM's efforts to onshore production, launch new vehicles models and expand its full-sized SUV capacity all stand to help the company grow revenue, gain market share and improve profitability in 2027. Shares rise 3%. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
0941 ET - The London Stock Exchange's move to introduce overnight trading will benefit retail investors, HANetf's Hector McNeil writes. LSE 24 will allow near-continuous trading between Monday and Friday, and will first be tested with exchange-traded products in the first half of 2027. The longer trading hours will give investors "greater flexibility, particularly when major market-moving events occur outside normal U.K. market hours," McNeil says. However, a key challenge for the exchange will be ensuring the overnight participation of market makers--the investment shops that take the other side of investors' bets--McNeil adds. "Without their participation, liquidity could be limited initially." (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)
0940 ET - General Motors is investing up to $1.5 billion this year to onshore production to the U.S. and expand its software capabilities, CFO Paul Jacobson says on a call with analysts. GM's stepped up domestic manufacturing efforts will bring its U.S. production capacity to more than 2 million units next year, as well as further reduce the company's tariff exposure, CEO Mary Barra says. "At the same time, our high-margin software and services revenues continue to grow rapidly, with 1 million new subscriptions expected this year, contributing to more than $3 billion in recognized revenue next year," she adds. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
0932 ET - General Motors records $2.3 billion in incremental charges tied to its electric-vehicle restructuring during the recent quarter. Of that, $900 million were supplier-related cash charges, $700 million were cash charges to right-size the battery supply chain with joint venture partners, and $700 million were non-cash write offs for compliance-related and other-asset impairments, CFO Paul Jacobson says on a call with analysts. Jacobson notes that GM has been working with its partners and suppliers to conclude its EV restructuring as quickly as possible. "I'm proud to say that we believe these actions substantially complete the material cash charges we expect to incur as we align our EV capacity and manufacturing footprint with the changes in regulatory policy," he says. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
0926 ET - Swatch Group's sales growth has reached a turning point, but margin recovery is still needed, Citi's Thomas Chauvet and Alberto Cecchetto say. For the first half, the watchmaker posted an 8.5% increase in net sales at constant exchange rates to 3.12 billion Swiss francs. The company also recorded an acceleration during May and June, which continued into July. Swatch's growth outlook has improved materially since the second half of 2025 when sales returned to growth despite persistent difficulties in the Chinese market, the analysts write in a note to clients. However, the operating margin fell to 1.7% from 2.2% in the year-earlier period. The stock trades 0.5% lower. (andrea.figueras@wsj.com)
0919 ET - Swatch Group's results confirm that the group is facing structural challenges, UBS analysts Zuzanna Pusz and Robert Krankowski say in a note to clients. The Swiss watchmaker reported results for the first half with sales above consensus expectations, but a substantial profit miss, the analysts say. EBIT came in at 52 million Swiss francs, missing estimates of 125 million francs. The company's release sounds optimistic, pointing to significant improvements in profitability expected in the second half of the year, the analysts say. However, they add the press release for the 2025 results also pointed to improving profits that didn't materialize. Shares are down 1.2%. (andrea.figueras@wsj.com)
0903 ET - Bitcoin rallies to a five-week high as U.S. stock futures rise, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq leading gains ahead of earnings from major tech companies. Bitcoin is also supported by renewed institutional demand, with spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds recording two consecutive weeks of net inflows, Trade Nation's David Morrison says in a note. Bitcoin rises to a high of $66,602, LSEG data show. The next big upside target is $70,000, while chart support stands at $65,000, Morrison says. (renae.dyer@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 21, 2026 10:51 ET (14:51 GMT)
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