The latest Market Talks covering Financial Services. Exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.

0723 GMT - Bitcoin falls modestly as investors take profits after the cryptocurrency reached a five-week high in the previous session. Tuesday's gains were driven by renewed institutional demand, regulatory optimism and investors being forced to close earlier bets against bitcoin as the cryptocurrency strengthened, Zaye Capital Markets analyst Naeem Aslam says in a note. However, the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict create uncertainty for bitcoin prices, he says. "Bitcoin may benefit from demand for assets operating outside conventional financial channels, but during sudden geopolitical shocks it often behaves like a high-risk technology investment, leaving it vulnerable to rapid selling when investors reduce exposure." Bitcoin falls 0.8% to $65,870 after reaching a high of $66,919 Tuesday, LSEG data show.(renae.dyer@wsj.com)

0328 GMT - Kasikornbank's fee-income growth could be strong on solid activity in Thailand's capital markets, Maybank Securities (Thailand)'s Jesada Techahusdin says in a research report. Given this activity, the Thai bank's net fee income should grow 16% in 2026, the analyst estimates. Hence, the bank's non-net interest income should increase 20% and offset net-interest-income contraction this year. The brokerage likes the bank's strong fee-income growth and commitment to shareholder returns with high payout ratio. It lifts Kasikornbank's 2026-2027 earnings forecasts by 6%, and raises the stock's target price to 250.00 baht from 200.00 baht with unchanged buy rating. Shares are 0.4% lower at 234.00 baht. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0304 GMT - The Singapore dollar consolidates against its U.S. counterpart in the Asian session, with trading likely to be subdued before the Monetary Authority of Singapore's monetary-policy decision due out next Monday, analysts say. "With markets already leaning towards no change, the tone of the statement may matter more than the decision itself," two strategists at OCBC Group Research say in a report. "A balanced hold should see limited SGD reaction, while greater emphasis on lagged imported inflation or renewed domestic price pressures could keep" the Singapore dollar nominal effective exchange rate firm, the strategists add. The U.S. dollar is little changed at 1.2916 Singapore dollars, LSEG data show. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0157 GMT - CIMB's 2Q pretax profit could be marginally lower from a year earlier due to pressure on net interest income, says RHB IB analyst David Chong in a note. Net interest margins are expected to remain under pressure, particularly in Indonesia, but management expects NIM could improve in 2H as more loans are disbursed and measures to lower funding costs in Indonesia and Singapore take effect, he notes. Non-interest income is likely to strengthen sequentially, supported by wealth management and fee income, while asset quality is expected to remain stable, he adds. RHB maintains a neutral rating on CIMB and keeps the target price at 8.35 ringgit. Shares are 0.1% higher at 7.69 ringgit.(yingxian.wong@wsj.com)

0150 GMT - Hub24's bull at Macquarie sounds untroubled by the wealth platform's softer-than-expected June-quarter net inflows. A note from one of the investment bank's analysts acknowledges that net inflows of 4.19 billion Australian dollars fell short of both Macquarie's forecast and consensus expectations, but points out that the company was operating against a backdrop of market volatility and proposed changes to taxation. Importantly, Hub24's market share has still been growing, according to the most recent available industry data. Macquarie reiterates an outperform rating on the stock and lifts its target price 0.8% to A$97.00. Shares are up 4.8% at A$85.28. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

0121 GMT - CIMB Group's 2Q earnings are likely to be stable on improving loan growth despite pressure on net interest margins, says Maybank IB analyst Desmond Ch'ng in a note. Net interest income may remain weak due to margin compression and forex translation effects, while non-interest income and cost-control efforts could provide support, he says. Asset quality is expected to stay stable, but CIMB may stay cautious on lending to lower-income borrowers and small and medium-sized businesses. Ch'ng expects CIMB's capital management plan to remain on track, with potential dividend upside if the return of excess capital is accelerated. Maybank maintains a hold rating on CIMB and keeps its target price at 8.40 ringgit. Shares are 0.4% lower at 7.65 ringgit.(yingxian.wong@wsj.com)

0042 GMT - Hub24 keeps its bull at Bell Potter despite slowing momentum at the wealth platform. Analyst Hayden Nicholson tells clients in a note that the Australian company's June-quarter performance looks good in the context of elevated outflows, even if net inflows fells short of consensus. He points out that Hub24 was coming off a deceleration of inflows in the final five weeks of the prior quarter, a period that he refers to as peak pessimism. More positively, market movements of A$7.47 billion comfortably topped both Nicholson's forecast and consensus expectations. Bell Potter keeps a buy rating on the stock, with an unchanged target price of 110.00 Australian dollars. Shares are up 4.5% at A$85.04. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

2302 GMT [Dow Jones]--Capital One Financial isn't observing the bifurcated economy that others have called out recently, where people with higher incomes continue to prosper while those with lower incomes increasingly fall behind. "We don't in our own numbers see this K-shaped economy that a lot of people talk about," Chief Executive Richard Fairbank says during a call with analysts, noting performance has been stable across the credit spectrum. "Although to be fair, we don't really participate in the lowest end of the marketplace where maybe those things are being experienced in the economy," he says. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

U.S. consumers broadly remained resilient in the latest quarter, even as high energy prices added pressure, Capital One Financial's Chief Executive Richard Fairbank says. "When you pick up the news every day, one would think the world's falling apart," Fairbank says during a call with analysts. In reality, "the consumer continues to perform remarkably well," he says. Fairbank notes the unemployment rate in June was lower than in February before the Iran conflict began, while jobless claims remain low and job creation has rebounded over the past few months. Customers' bank balances and debt servicing burdens look a bit stronger than a year ago across income levels, he says, and in Capital One's domestic card business, credit metrics continued to improve on a year over year basis in the recent quarter.

(kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

2035 GMT - Capital One Financial's total credit-card delinquency rate fell both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year, offering a sign that the bank's cardholders are doing a better job of keeping up with their bills. The company says total credit-card delinquency rate edged down to 3.4% in the second quarter, compared to 3.7% in the first quarter and 3.6% in the year-ago quarter. The delinquency rate in its consumer banking division, meanwhile, was lower than a year ago but higher than the first quarter, coming in around 4.3%. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

1652 GMT - Demand for restaurants is resilient even as customers face various pressures, D.A. Davidson analysts Matt Curtis and Andrew Tompkins said in a research note. A survey conducted by the analysts found that convenience and speed of service helped attract customers, while higher menu prices and personal financial pressures were the main headwinds. The firm says Texas Roadhouse, Chili's and The Cheesecake Factory are the best bang for your buck while Kura Sushi, Portillo's and Sweetgreen were perceived as more expensive. (grace.yoon@wsj.com)

1611 GMT - The push of prediction market Kalshi to move into perpetual futures -- contracts with no expiration dates that are easily tradable -- looks to be extending past cryptocurrencies. The firm says that it now plans to add perps for more-traditional assets including gold, silver, and platinum. The firm says in filings with the CFTC today that such offerings have never been "offered before at this scale for retail investors," and that precious metal perps lend themselves to Kalshi's platform. "Perpetual futures have become the dominant form of derivative and a principal locus of price discovery in the markets in which they have emerged, yet that activity has historically occurred almost entirely on offshore, unregulated venues," Kalshi says in the filings. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 22, 2026 04:20 ET (08:20 GMT)

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