The latest Market Talks covering Financial Services. Exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.
1404 ET - Economic uncertainty is prompting many Americans to pull back on planned Halloween spending, according to LendingTree's 2026 Halloween spending survey. The survey shows 80% of respondents plan on making Halloween-related purchases, down from 90% in 2025. Spending is also expected to decline, dropping 16% from 2025 to an average of $162, the survey revealed. The survey also shows 38% expect to spend more than last year, while the 61% skipping purchases due to economic uncertainty are cutting back on candy, decorations, and costumes. (stephen.nakrosis@wsj.com)
1306 ET - The Intercontinental Exchange says that it will launch a suite of livestock futures to compete with similar offerings from the CME. This week, the ICE says that it will launch live cattle futures, feeder cattle futures, and lean hog futures. The contracts are scheduled to begin trading on Dec. 7, says ICE in a notice. Analysts see the new offering as a direct challenge to the CME's longstanding dominance in livestock futures. "The decision to enter livestock represents a significant competitive development, particularly as market participants evaluate execution costs, trading technology, liquidity, and alternative hedging opportunities," says PJ Quaid of StoneX in a note. In its notice, the ICE adds that June 2027 will be the first month that it will offer a physically delivered live cattle contract. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)
1251 ET - The national entry point to luxury housing edged down to $1,199,321 in September, Realtor.com says. That's 3.6% below a year ago and the 30th consecutive month of annual price declines. Every luxury tier is cheaper than a year ago, with the threshold for the top 5% of listings down 3.5% and the top 1% down 5.3%. Even so, luxury homes are selling faster than they were last September. Listings at the 90th percentile spent a median of 76 days on the market, three days fewer than a year ago. The luxury entry point is the lowest since January 2023, and 14.1% below its May 2023 peak of roughly $1.4 million. There are no clear signs yet of a reversal, Realtor.com says. (chris.wack@wsj.com)
1201 ET - Morgan Stanley's third quarter got off to a strong start, CEO Ted Pick says on a call with analysts. Momentum carried over from the second quarter, as markets remained focused on artificial-intelligence investments and continued economic expansion. Sentiment began to turn, though, as Labor Day approached. "We observed the headwinds of renewed tensions in the Middle East and higher interest rates globally as central banks moved to keep inflation at bay," Pick says. "Market volumes were slower across asset classes, as investors and institutional actors gauged risk-reward into the fourth quarter and year end." (connor.hart@wsj.com)
1159 ET - Two stories currently playing out in the economy are approaching a critical juncture, Morgan Stanley CEO Ted Pick says on a call with analysts. If you consider the glass to be half full, enormous capital continues to be raised and deployed across the artificial-intelligence ecosystem, driving both U.S. gross domestic product and large-cap corporate earnings higher. But if you view the glass as half empty, persisting conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine as well as higher interest rates and energy prices are reasons to be more cautious heading into the fourth quarter, Pick says. "It is clear to us now that these two known-unknowns and how they interact, and which of the third-quarter's narratives--half full or half empty--holds the upper hand, will drive investor and corporate behavior into year end and into the first half of 2027," he says. Shares are down 2.9%. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
1112 ET - Bank of America continues to invest in technology modernization, including artificial intelligence, CFO Alastair Borthwick says on a call with analysts. The investments have helped boost productivity, he continues, pointing to the bank's headcount. "Our head count was down nearly 3,500 from a year ago, as we automate processes and simplify work across the company," Borthwick says. "This means we don't need to hire quite as many people to refill roles." BofA will continue to invest where it sees the best long-term returns, while continuing work to improve productivity. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
1057 ET - Consumers continue to spend, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan says on a call with analysts, pointing to total payments made from BofA accounts, which are up 5% year-over-year. Consumers are keeping a close eye on macroeconomic trends, as geopolitical instability continues to weigh on sentiment and affect markets. "But what our clients are actually doing is continuing to point to a resilient and growing economy in the United States," Moynihan says. "That activity has produced organic growth across our company, coupled with great credit quality." Bank of America slides 7.5% after a $1.2 billion government fine eats into earnings. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
1044 ET - State Street reported higher third-quarter profit and revenue, but the results weren't enough to please Wall Street. The company's fee revenue missed analyst estimates, and while the fourth-quarter guidance implied by its new full-year forecast is above sellside expectations, "the bar has gotten very high for STT this year with the outsize run the stock has had," Truist Securities analysts say in a note. The analysts say investors likely hoped that the company's update last month was conservative, leaving further room to bump up guidance. "That doesn't seem to be the case," they say. Shares slide 7.8%, to $160.36. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
0940 ET - Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan addresses the $1.2 billion Treasury Dept. fine to open the bank's third-quarter earnings call: "We understand the seriousness of compliance," he says. Moving forward, Moynihan says BofA has invested billions of dollars in technology and dedicated thousands of employees to combating financial crime. "The team is far along with and committed to completing the work required to be addressed by the regulators," he says. Shares fall 7.4% as the bank's 3Q profit disappoints. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
0844 ET - Swiss Re's revenue could fall even further than a cautious analyst consensus estimate as reinsurance prices soften, Jefferies analysts Philip Kett and Derald Goh write. The pace of decline in reinsurance rates has accelerated since 2025, and could accelerate again in 2027 before slowing in 2028, the analysts say. The analyst consensus now sees Swiss Re's property and casualty reinsurance business reporting a gross revenue fall in 2027, followed by stability then modest growth from 2029. Jefferies thinks this is too optimistic, and is 7% below consensus forecasts for 2027 and 19% below by 2030. Jefferies lowers its recommendation on the stock to underperform from hold, and cuts the price target to 110 Swiss francs from 130 Swiss francs. Shares are down 1.2% at 145.45 Swiss francs. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)
0812 ET - Morgan Stanley had a strong quarter, CEO Ted Pick says, with EPS up 8.2% to $3.03 and net revenues up 12% to $20.34 billion. Analysts polled by FactSet expected quarterly EPS of $2.93 a share on revenue of $19.93 billion. "Institutional Securities benefited from global strength, led by our Equity franchise, and Wealth Management reported record revenues and added $232 billion in net new assets and $80 billion in fee-based flows," Pick says in prepared earnings remarks. "Across Wealth and Investment Management, total client assets grew to $10.5 trillion, demonstrating the scale of our platform and the strength of our franchise." Looking ahead, Pick says Morgan Stanley will continue to invest for growth while delivering returns for shareholders. Morgan Stanley slightly lower premarket. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
0725 ET - Bank of America narrows its 3Q profit to $6.9 billion, or 91 cents a share, from $8.3 billion, or $1.04 a share, a year earlier. Analysts polled by FactSet expected quarterly earnings of $1.10 a share. The bank says the recent quarter included a $1.2 billion regulatory settlement charge, which reduced earnings per share by 17 cents. The settlement came after regulators found the bank had insufficient systems to monitor and report possible financial crimes, including money laundering by Chinese underground bankers and suspicious activity along the southwest U.S. border. Bank of America drops 4.2% premarket.
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