The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
1551 ET - Goldman Sachs has identified six workstreams CEO David Solomon says are "ripe for disruption" via artificial intelligence: client onboarding and know-your-customer processes, vendor management, regulatory reporting, lending, enterprise risk management, and sales enablement. "It has become increasingly clear that our operating processes need to reflect the gains that will come from these transformational technologies," Solomon writes in a letter to shareholders. "This doesn't just mean retooling our platforms. It means taking a front-to-back view of how we organize our people, make decisions, and think about productivity, efficiency, and resilience." (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)
1514 ET - The softlines industry's store closures continue, with a closure rate of 3.7% in the fourth quarter, compared with 4.2% in the third quarter, UBS analysts say in a note. The data equates to 96 stores closing quarter-over-quarter, leaving the industry with 79,842 stores at the end of December, the analysts say. Off-price retailers continue to have the largest store growth, while clothing and footwear remains the most challenged category, the analysts say. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
1502 ET - Diana Shipping has said its revised offer to buy Genco Shipping & Trading for $23.50 a share is equal to Genco's net asset value, based on an estimate by Clarksons Securities. But Genco says Diana's offer is still a lowball based on one cherry-picked analyst estimate. "Diana's letter selectively referenced the lowest published NAV estimate from one analyst rather than Genco's mean analyst NAV estimate of $25," Genco says in a letter rejecting the revised offer, citing estimates from Clarksons, SEB, Fearnley Securities, Pareto, and Deutsche Bank. "This mean analyst NAV estimate is well above Diana's offer of $23.50 during a period of rising asset values." Genco also says the offer lacks a control premium in addition to undervaluing the business. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)
1457 ET - Genco Shipping & Trading says Diana Shipping's updated acquisition offer fails to provide a premium for control in addition to undervaluing the company. Genco rejected the revised offer on Thursday, prompting Diana to say that it will move forward with an effort to replace Genco's board. Genco says it is open to offers that fairly value the company and its upside potential and that maximize value for shareholders. "Diana's indicative proposal does not meet this standard and is not in the best interests of Genco shareholders," Genco says. "The proposal is well below Genco's intrinsic value and NAV and fails to provide a premium for control of Genco." (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)
1450 ET - Canada mustn't lag the U.S. in dropping mandatory quarterly earnings reporting, the CEO of stock exchange operator TMX Group says. Canadian securities regulators are launching a pilot program that would allow certain smaller venture-listed companies to move to twice-year reporting, a shift TMX's John McKenzie wants to see extended to all listed companies in the country. President Trump has pushed for an end to the regulatory burden of quarterly reporting, and McKenzie in an interview says Canada could make the move even faster. Canada at least must change at the same time as the U.S. does, he says. More than 200 Canadian companies, including many of the countries biggest, are duel listed in Canada and the U.S., McKenzie notes. (robb.stewart@wsj.com)
1442 ET - Duluth Holdings is reaping the benefits of prioritizing the quality of its sales, according to Baird in a note. During the holiday period, the apparel and accessories company scaled back its approach to discounts, offering 30% off and selected promotions versus 50% off across the board last year, analysts Jonathan Komp and Alexander Conway say. The retailer also worked to reduce shipping time, improve in-stock positioning and drive higher retail conversion, they say. Those efforts helped gross margins expand over the recent fiscal year despite tariff pressure, they say. "While we had been modeling a faster profit recovery, we are encouraged by strong gross margin improvement and progress on strategic initiatives," they say. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
1424 ET - Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is seeing a more stable consumer as some booking behaviors shift, Baird analysts say in a note after meeting with the company's finance chief. The hotel franchisor's occupancy has increased so far this year, and booking windows and cancellations have been stable to slightly improving, the analysts say. Additionally, immigration-related pressures on demand have waned recently, they say. However, average daily rates remain challenged, and investors are still focused on the "K-shaped" economy and how higher gasoline prices could affect consumer confidence and hotel demand, they say. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
1312 ET - Roughly three in five U.S. residents believe advances in artificial intelligence will eliminate jobs and make it harder for people to afford homes, Redfin says. About 30% believe the opposite, that advances in AI will help boost the U.S. economy and help more people afford homes. Some estimates suggest up to 30% of U.S. jobs could be displaced by AI, with 80% of workers anticipated to be affected in some way. Uncertainty around the future of the labor market could also contribute to volatile mortgage rates, adding another hurdle for prospective homebuyers. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. residents believe tariffs will cause inflation and keep interest rates high. Three in 10 say tariffs will help boost the U.S. economy, helping more people afford to buy homes. (chris.wack@wsj.com)
1303 ET - Super Micro Computer may face more regulatory scrutiny following the indictment of employees who allegedly sold servers with Nvidia chips to China, Raymond James analysts say. This could have knock-on effects, such as compliance monitors and tighter licensing, the analysts say. The scale of the alleged activity--which the Justice Department says involved $2.5 billion worth of servers since 2024--could heighten the perceived risk to the company, the analysts add. They also say it could put a dent in customer trust and supply-chain relationships, particularly with Nvidia, hyperscalers and U.S. customers that are sensitive to export compliance. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)
1257 ET - Wall Street has five concerns when it comes to Nike as shares settle around 10-year lows, Guggenheim Securities analysts say in a note. For one, investors worry that Nike's return to revenue growth in North America is unhealthy, with a pull-forward in demand and certain channel dynamics masking ongoing direct-to-consumer declines, the analysts say. Wall Street is also concerned about Nike's plummeting gross margins in North America with clear pressure from tariffs, they say. Other worries relate to Nike's sales declines in China and promotions-driven margin pressures in the region, plus growing concerns about a potential slowdown in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the analysts say. "Investor negativity around Nike is palpable," the analysts say. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)
1244 ET - Uber's investment of up to $1.25 billion in Rivian Automotive, plus its commitment to deploy 10,000 fully autonomous Rivian R2 SUVs by 2028, furthers the company's strategy of partnering with a range of players in the autonomous vehicles sector, Morgan Stanley analysts say in a note. The deal follows recent partnerships with Nvidia, Amazon's Zoox, Motional, and Nissan and Wayve. "Uber is procuring more partners as Waymo continues to launch more cities," the analysts write. "Looking ahead, it will be important that Uber is able to tangibly help these players grow faster and compete in the AV space against Waymo and Tesla."(elias.schisgall@wsj.com)
1204 ET - The indictment against former Super Micro Computer employees doesn't name the company, but it's a bad look, Raymond James analysts say. The allegations that the employees sold Super Micro servers with Nvidia chips to China casts a new legal and compliance shadow over the company, whose shares slid 28% Friday. The overhang comes on top of pre-existing concerns about accounting delays, internal control weaknesses and related-party risks, the analysts say. The analysts think Super Micro's stock will suffer from a "reputational discount" over its reporting credibility and board oversight, especially since one of the indicted employees was a board member. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 20, 2026 15:51 ET (19:51 GMT)
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