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

1057 ET - Stocks in Abu Dhabi extend gains from the previous session, while Qatar stocks continue to fall, with their benchmark indices rising 0.2% and falling 0.5%, respectively. Abu Dhabi's relative strength looks constructive, supported by resilient earnings and its banking and telecom sectors, says Mazen Abou Ismail, head of trading desk at FFA Private Bank Dubai. Qatar remains more vulnerable given its exposure to regional energy and LNG-related risks, helping explain the continued weakness, he says. Geopolitics remains the main driver of GCC sentiment, but differences in fundamentals, valuations and liquidity are increasingly driving relative performance across markets, Abou Ismail says. (farhan.rafid@wsj.com)

1055 ET - Cash buyers are beginning to lose some of the outsized influence they gained during the pandemic housing boom, according to Realtor.com. Cash purchases accounted for 31.4% of home sales during the first four months of 2026, down from 32.3% a year earlier, as easing prices, improving inventory and changing market conditions helped more financed buyers re-enter the market, Realtor.com says. Cash buyers are pulling back faster than the market as a whole: total home sales fell 8.5% year- over-year, but the number of cash sales fell 11.2% as the pool of cash buyers shrinks, according to Realtor.com. Cash buyers aren't disappearing; they're simply becoming less dominant as the housing market finds its footing, Realtor.com says. More inventory and moderating prices are giving financed buyers more opportunities to compete, Realtor.com says. (chris.wack@wsj.com)

1046 ET - U.S. home prices increased 0.27% month-over-month in July, Redfin says. That's essentially flat from a 0.28% growth rate in June. Prices rose 3.4% from a year earlier, the fastest annual growth in a year. Buyers are still contending with high housing costs including high mortgage rates keeping a lid on demand. At the same time, there are hundreds of thousands more sellers than buyers in the market. The strong luxury market is one reason why price growth remains fairly strong despite tepid demand, Redfin says. Luxury home prices are rising faster than non-luxury prices. Wealthy homebuyers are having an outsized impact on home-price growth, especially in affluent markets like the Bay Area and South Florida. Home prices rose in 29 major U.S. metros month-over-month on a seasonally adjusted basis in July, according to Redfin. (chris.wack@wsj.com)

0950 ET - Scor should trade at a discount to reinsurance peers, with two potential negative events coming soon, UBS analysts say. The French insurer has materially re-rated year to date, UBS says as it cuts its rating on the stock to sell from neutral. It also lowers the price target to 32.50 euros from 34.50 euros. UBS says the Monte Carlo industry conference in September is likely to pressure consensus forecasts, with higher risk-adjusted price declines than expected. Scor's December capital markets day could see excess distributions delayed due to a shift in the solvency target, the analysts add. The stock is down 2.4% at 33.86 euros. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

0918 ET - Aviva is inexpensive compared with U.K. life insurance peers due to its strong earnings-per-share growth outlook, J.P. Morgan analysts say. The U.S. bank raises its operating EPS estimate 1%-2% through 2028 after the insurer's first-half results. JPM's estimates are around 2% to 3% ahead of consensus, it says. "The key investor debates remain the execution of the Direct Line acquisition, the quality of general insurance earnings, the sustainability of reserve releases, and whether wealth can become a larger, capital-light growth engine for Aviva," the analysts write. JPM raises its price target to 815 pence from 800 pence, reiterates its overweight rating for the stock and says it continues to see positive risk-reward in the shares. Shares are up 0.8% at 736 pence and have risen 7.7% year to date. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

0321 ET - Agricultural Bank of China's H-share has been added to a 30-day upside catalyst watch by Citigroup, on expectations that its 2Q earnings growth could exceed 6% on year, the highest among China's big banks, Citi analyst Judy Zhang says in a note. Citi now expects 2026 earnings growth of around 5%-6%, up from its previous expectations for about 4%, despite potential recapitalization in late 3Q. Citi now estimates the recapitalization at CNY160 billion, down from CNY200 billion previously, with full-year EPS dilution now estimated at 6%, versus 8% previously. Citi maintains its buy rating with a HK$7.00 target price. Shares are up 0.8% at HK$5.35. (venkat.pr@wsj.com)

0303 ET - Aegon's recent strategic actions outweigh possible near-term headwinds from its U.S. relocation, Citi analyst Alejandra Chavez says. The U.S. bank says it therefore remains constructive in the medium term for the Dutch insurer and asset manager. The U.K. divestment and faster capital returns are seen as positive strategic actions, the analyst notes. "We believe a two-phase transformation, involving the divestment of its EU and U.K. stakes followed by a potential U.S. merger, is already underway," Citi says. The move toward becoming a U.S.-focused insurer is a compelling case for long-term investors, the analyst adds, while the current stock price is still a strong starting point. Aegon shares have climbed 24% year to date. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

0054 ET - National Australia Bank's recent share price rally and current trading multiples look hard to justify for its bears at Morgan Stanley. With an unchanged underweight rating on the stock, MS analysts point to the uncertain operating environment and the lender's weak earnings outlook. They believe that NAB's revenue growth is slowing and that it has limited flexibility on costs or capital. They suggest caution regarding NAB's credit quality in the current challenging macroeconomic environment, saying that it appears to be turning lower. MS has an unchanged target price of 34.00 Australian dollars on the stock. Shares are down 0.6% at A$39.21. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

0019 ET - National Australia Bank is still a buy at UBS despite a softening in the lender's near-term profit outlook. Analysts at the investment bank trim their full-year cash profit forecast by 2.4% on slightly lower margin and volume expectations, but maintain a buy rating on the stock. They tell clients in a note that NAB's large relative exposure to business banking remains core to their thesis. They say that the 5% share-price drop that greeted the lender's third-quarter update was overdone, and that they see little evidence so far of a marked deterioration in asset quality or losses. Target price falls 3.0% to 48.50 Australian dollars. Shares are down 0.9% at A$39.11. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

2120 ET - CIMB's Indonesia unit could face greater deposit competition in 2H than larger state-owned banks, with higher deposit rates and tighter liquidity possibly adding pressure on funding costs, Affin Hwang IB analyst Chin Jin Han says in a note. Net interest margin pressure and higher credit costs are also expected to weigh on earnings, although forex gains could provide some cushion to its ROE, he says. However, asset quality could improve further as lending shifts away from higher-risk segments toward safer retail and auto loans, he reckons. Chin remains positive on CIMB's underlying businesses and expect 2027 to be a stronger year as headwinds in some markets ease. Affin Hwang maintains a buy rating on CIMB and keeps target price at 9.20 ringgit. Shares are 0.1% lower at 7.86 ringgit.(yingxian.wong@wsj.com)

1656 ET - Expand Energy's recently announced $1.25 billion acquisition of natural-gas supplier Twin Eagle from private-equity firm Five Point Infrastructure will increase the publicly traded energy company's access to critical assets without substantial capital outlays, says Gabriele Sorbara, a senior equity analyst at financial-services firm Siebert Williams Shank. Sorbara points to Twin Eagle's contractual rights to use third-party pipelines and storage tanks. "They're not really acquiring many assets from Twin Eagle," he says of Houston-based Expand Energy. "But it has improved their margins." He compares the approach with that of larger natural-gas producers such as EQT Corp., which about two years ago reacquired pipeline operator Equitrans Midstream in a roughly $5.5 billion deal. "Expand is doing it a little bit differently with Twin Eagle," Sorbara adds. "It's really asset-light."