The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

0757 GMT - Shares in U.K. housebuilders fall after property website Rightmove warned of its performance being weighted to the second half, citing fewer new-home developments and higher mortgage rates when compared with last year. Crest Nicholson loses 2.3%, with Persimmon and Vistry both falling 1.1%. Rightmove shares are down 0.6% at 4.26 pounds and have fallen 43% over the past 12 months. (anthony.orunagoriainoff@dowjones.com)

0749 GMT - Weakness in Germany's industrial output could bleed over into the second quarter, Ralph Solveen says in a note. Production fell by 0.7% in March on month, against forecasts for a 0.5% rise. "Following yesterday's strong numbers on new orders, today's production data was disappointing," Solveen says. The fall in March means the industrial sector recorded a fall of more than 1% over the first quarter, which could lead to a downward revision to GDP figures for the period. Rising energy costs and lingering uncertainty for businesses have already heavily dented sentiment, and will likely drag on output going forward, Solveen says. "Consequently, there is reason to fear that production will also fall in the second quarter, thereby contributing to a slight contraction of the German economy in the second quarter as well." (don.forbes@wsj.com)

0742 GMT - Clariant might struggle to achieve its guidance, Bernstein analyst James Hooper says in a research note. If the Middle East disruption continues and the Swiss chemicals company's more lucrative second-quarter turnaround season is affected, progress made elsewhere--e.g. in care chemicals--could be lost, Hooper says. "If the spring and summer turnaround season goes ahead as normal, then this quarter will be remembered as a blip," he says. Shares trade 3.7% lower at 7.795 Swiss francs. (nina.kienle@wsj.com)

0735 GMT - Rightmove remains largely insulated from housing market volatility by tapping into the U.K.'s obsession with property, according to RBC Capital Markets. The property website thrives as real-estate agents increase their marketing spend to gain a competitive edge in capturing buyer and seller attention, RBC says. Although the number of new housing developments is expected to decline, a strong performance in the real-estate agency division should offset these losses, RBC says. This resilience, combined with a projected 20% to 30% jump in strategic growth areas, keeps its outlook robust, RBC says. "We continue to believe that Rightmove is an AI winner not a loser, using AI along with its insight and understanding of the property market to enhance its products and services." Shares are down 0.7% at 425.10 pence.(anthony.orunagoriainoff@dowjones.com)

0727 GMT - United Overseas Bank's stock valuation seems decent, reflecting asset quality risks and weaker provision coverage compared with the sector, RHB Research analysts write in a report. With general provision reserve kept at 1% of its performing loans, UOB sees it as enough protection against future asset quality deterioration. While the Singapore bank's exposure to the Middle East is limited, the broader effects are uncertain. UOB also sees its buffers as adequate after adding extra provisions as a precautionary move against Middle East-related risks. RHB maintains a neutral rating on the stock with a target price of S$39.50. Shares are 0.4% lower at S$36.56.(amanda.lee@wsj.com)

0726 GMT - Clariant is moving in the right direction, Vontobel analyst Sibylle Bischofberger says in a research note. The Swiss chemical company posted, as anticipated, weak first-quarter results due to the challenging market environment, the analyst says. Nevertheless, savings programs are taking effect and reported Ebitda margins are significantly improving despite lower volumes, exceeding market expectations, she adds. While the trends are positive, markets and the Middle East conflict don't support better results, Bischofberger says. Shares trade 2.9% lower at 7.86 Swiss francs. (nina.kienle@wsj.com)

0718 GMT - European blue-chip indexes extend losses at market open after an escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Sectors exposed to falls in consumer confidence and higher energy inflation, including banks, industrials and travel and leisure stocks are all falling. The Europe-wide Stoxx 600 is down 0.75% after declining 1.1% in the last session. The German DAX falls 1% as industrials giant Rheinmetall loses 3.5%. Banks are the main drag on the French CAC 40, which falls 0.9%. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 is 0.6% lower as British Airways owner IAG is down 4.7%. Banks drag on Spain's IBEX 35 and the Italian FTSE MIB, which fall 0.7% and 0.5%, respectively. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

0715 GMT - Hero MotoCorp may face further margin compression as commodity-price headwinds quicken in 1H FY 2027, BNP Paribas Securities India analysts say in a research report, as they maintain a neutral rating on the stock. The Indian two-wheeler manufacturer's gross margin narrowed by around 90 bps on-quarter in 4Q FY 2026, the analysts note. Hero MotoCorp's lower-than-peers' export mix of vehicles implies that it'll probably have weaker foreign-exchange tailwinds to offset commodity inflation-led margin pressures in 1H FY 2027. However, the brokerage slightly raises its target price on the stock to INR5,150.00 from INR4,970.00 to reflect tweaked EPS estimates. Shares are 0.1% lower at INR5,338.00. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0708 GMT - Kakao's artificial-intelligence push is making slower-than-expected progress, Nomura's Angela Hong and Won Kang say. Despite strategic partnerships with global players such as Google and OpenAI to bolster its AI capabilities, it remains unclear whether these moves will materially improve service quality or drive user engagement at the South Korea mobile internet company, the analysts write in a note. Kakao has integrated OpenAI's ChatGPT and homegrown AI tool Kanana into its popular messaging app. "We remain skeptical that these AI features will act as a primary growth driver," the note says. Nomura cuts the stock's target price by 24% to 45,000 won and keeps a neutral rating. Shares last closed 1.7% higher at 46,000 won. (kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com)

0651 GMT - Venture Corp. is likely benefiting from the global build-out of data centers, Phillip Securities Research's Paul Chew says in a research report. The Singapore-listed company's earnings growth for 2026-2027 will probably be led by artificial-intelligence products to support the massive deployment of data centers globally, the head of research says. Key products for the provider of technology services, solutions and products include network interface cards in servers and semiconductor equipment components, Chew adds. Phillip Securities Research upgrades the stock's rating to buy from accumulate and raises the target price to S$22.10 from S$16.80. Shares are 2.9% lower at S$18.11. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0629 GMT - Kansai Nerolac Paints is likely increasing its focus on improving profitability, Nomura analysts say in a research report. Management highlighted that the company's price hikes will be effective from earlier dates, so any near-term hit on margins will be compensated by higher margins in 2H FY 2027, the analysts note. Given factors including its performance coatings likely to sustain double-digit growth and its continued focus on premium products, the company expects industrial coatings to deliver high-single-digit growth. Nomura increases its FY 2027 and FY 2028 EPS forecasts for the company by around 3%. It raises the stock's target price to 300.00 rupees from 285.00 rupees with an unchanged buy rating. Shares are 1.6% higher at 214.85 rupees. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0618 GMT - Hartalega Holdings' short-term margins could improve after the company raised its average selling prices for gloves recently, UOB Kay Hian analyst Jack Goh says in a note. The glove manufacturer raised its prices to US$26-US$28 for 1,000 pieces of gloves for 1Q FY 2027, which might offset rising input costs. "The higher [prices] also priced in some buffer to further mitigate production cost fluctuations in the near term," the analyst says. UOB KH raises the stock's target price to 1.02 ringgit from 0.92 ringgit. Shares are 5.1% higher at 1.24 ringgit.(amanda.lee@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

May 08, 2026 03:57 ET (07:57 GMT)

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