The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
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)
1140 ET - A tie-up between mayonnaise-maker Unilever and McCormick, which sells Cholula hot sauce, makes strategic sense, BNP Paribas analyst Max Gumport says in a research note. Spice maker McCormick has expressed interest in expanding its emerging market exposure and category perimeter. There is precedent for McCormick to use M&A to accomplish these priorities, and this deal would do just that, Gumport writes. Still, the structure of the deal will be key, and integration remains a risk. "The consumer staples industry is littered with examples of 'transformational' deals, as this would be, but has few examples of such deals resulting in value creation for shareholders," Gumport says. (connor.hart@wsj.com)
1126 ET - The war in Iran and the potential of fuel shortages in Europe may weigh on consumer spending, Lands' End Chief Executive Andrew McLean says on a call with analysts. "In Europe, we are seeing some agitation from some of our more economically disadvantaged customer groups," he says. "We'll continue to watch that." The retailer's U.S. business hasn't yet been hit, but the company continues to monitor the impacts. "That's certainly a challenge to come," McLean says. Lands' End shares are down 12%. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)
1119 ET - UBS raised its oil price forecasts, citing the escalating conflict in the Middle East and prolonged disruption of flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The bank assumes the conflict will persist for another two to three weeks into early April, with transit through the key chokepoint remaining severely constrained, potentially pushing prices briefly above $120 a barrel. UBS now expects Brent crude to average $100 a barrel in the second quarter and WTI $95 a barrel, up from previous forecasts of $74 and $70, respectively. It also lifted its full-year outlook, seeing Brent at $86 a barrel and WTI at $81, compared with prior estimates of $72 and $68. "The extent and duration of disruption of flows via Hormuz remain key, while attacks on oil infrastructure would raise the risk of a slower production recovery," analysts at UBS say. (giulia.petroni@wsj.com)
1119 ET - Michelle Bowman, the Fed's vice chair for supervision, said her proposed modernization of bank regulation aims to push activity back into banks. After the Dodd-Frank law, she says "we've seen a lot of business that's traditional banking activity exit into the non bank space, and this is one way for us to recalibrate that," on Fox Business. America's biggest banks would be allowed to hold billions of dollars less in capital on their books under proposals unveiled Thursday, easing rules put in place after the 2008 financial crisis that were meant to help shield against meltdowns. (jessica.coacci@wsj.com; @jessica_coacci)
1018 ET - A more proactive policy by the European Central Bank in the face of inflation risks should limit the euro's falls against the dollar, HSBC's Nick Andrews says in a note. Thursday's message from the ECB that it could raise interest rates if energy prices stay high caused money markets to price an increased probability of rate hikes. Markets fully price 25 basis-point rate increases in June and July, and a 67% chance of a hike in April, LSEG data show. "A more proactive policy as priced by markets should help buffer euro-dollar from deeper falls," Andrews says. However, the eurozone is more vulnerable than the U.S. to prolonged higher energy prices, he says. The euro falls 0.4% to $1.1538. (jessica.fleetham@wsj.com)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 20, 2026 14:42 ET (18:42 GMT)
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