The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
0542 GMT - Australian benchmark stock index finished 0.8% lower on widening worries about the impact of the Iran conflict. The fall led to a third consecutive weekly loss that put it on course for what is shaping up as its worst month in almost four years. The S&P/ASX 200 opened Friday's session 0.3% lower and, aside from a mid-session bump, spent most of the day in reverse. It closed at 8428.4, down 8.4% since the start of March. The ASX 200 hasn't lost that much across a full month since June 2022, when global inflation surged and supply chains stretched as economies reopened from Covid-era restrictions. Friday's losses were led by heavyweight financial and materials stocks. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)
0530 GMT - New investment options under Singapore's mandatory state pension program could drive a sustained flow of funds to the city-state's equities market, say Macquarie Capital analysts led by Jayden Vantarakis in a note. They estimate the new investment options starting 2028 could add S$4.5 billion-S$6.0 billion a year into the equities market. This could create an annual flow of similar magnitude to Singapore's S$6.0 billion central-bank-led equities market development plan, which has already lifted fund flows in the country's equities, they say. Daily average traded value for Singapore stocks at the start of 2026 rose around 60% on year, with liquidity broadening out beyond large-cap companies, they note.(megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0521 GMT - CK Asset's profitability is likely to be boosted by recovering selling prices for some property projects in Hong Kong and mainland China, says Morningstar's Jeff Zhang in a note. This is despite subdued margins on the property company's pre-sold assets, he notes. The analyst raises his mid-cycle operating margin projection to 18.0% from 13.4% to factor its likely higher profitability and stricter cost discipline. The sale of its stakes in UK Rails and UK Power Networks appear value-accretive to its earnings and provides cash for overseas utilities buys, he adds. Morningstar raises its fair-value estimate to HK$45.00 from HK$37.00, noting the stock seems fairly-valued. Shares fall 1.6% to HK$45.49. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0512 GMT - Tencent's debt metrics are expected to remain stable through the next 12 months, CreditSights analysts Stephanie Sim and Pius Xue say in a note. They forecast top-line growth to stay resilient, supported by healthy growth in its online advertising and gaming businesses. "We like the healthy balance sheet, robust free operating cash flow generation and strong liquidity of the company," the analysts add, noting Tencent may return to a position of more cash than debt by year's end. Still, they project a small but manageable decline in Ebitda margin on higher AI-related spending. CreditSights maintains an outperform rating and sees Tencent as a stable, long-term play in Asia and China. The company is also viewed as a good hedge against U.S. AI stocks. (jason.chau@wsj.com)
0501 GMT - Food Empire Holdings' strong revenue growth is likely to persist over 2026-2028, Macquarie Equity Research analysts say in a note. Drivers are the food and beverage manufacturer's planned capacity expansion and rising utilization, the analysts say. Rising urbanization, lifestyle changes and income growth have also led to faster coffee consumption growth in Food Empire's core emerging markets versus developed markets. Over 2026-2028, it will spend US$117 million to increase capacity in Vietnam and India and its new Kazakhstan plant should start contributing to revenue. Maquarie initiates coverage of the stock with an outperform rating and a target price of S$3.67. Shares are 2.9% higher at S$3.23. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 20, 2026 01:42 ET (05:42 GMT)
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