The latest Market Talks covering FX and Fixed Income. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

0254 GMT - Bitcoin falls in early Asian trading. The cryptocurrency remains stuck in a narrow range as low volatility, weak trading activity and limited liquidity point to a late-stage bear market, Bitfinex analysts say. Demand remains weak, with U.S. spot ETFs seeing about $385 million in weekly net outflows, corporate buying still negative and spot trading volumes falling to multi-year lows. However, the macro backdrop has become more supportive. Softer U.S. inflation data in July has reduced expectations for further Fed rate hikes and pushed short-term Treasury yields lower. Investors are now watching whether easier monetary conditions will translate into actual crypto inflows. A sustained return of ETF inflows and stablecoin supply expansion could the catalyst for bitcoin to break its range. Bitcoin is 0.3% lower at $64,361.00. (jason.chau@wsj.com)

0228 GMT - The Singapore dollar consolidates against its U.S. counterpart in the Asian session, but may be pressured by Middle East risks. There are "renewed uncertainties over the Strait of Hormuz," DBS Group Research's Chang Wei Liang says in commentary. President Trump has confirmed that there are no further talks scheduled with Iran, and strongly expressed displeasure at Oman over aspects of its deal with Iran to manage the Strait, the FX & credit strategist notes. Brent oil price could remain elevated given the "impasse between the U.S. and Iran," and oil-sensitive Asian currencies may come under pressure, the strategist adds. The U.S. dollar is flat at 1.2777 Singapore dollars, according to FactSet data. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0159 GMT - Japan's core machinery orders data issued Wednesday indicate companies' resilient appetite for business investment despite geopolitical uncertainties. The data is considered a leading indicator for capex. "Although a resolution to the Iran situation appears unlikely for the time being, capital spending data are likely to show solid performance amid expectations for Prime Minister Takaichi's growth strategy," says Norinchukin Research Institute economist Takeshi Minami. Core machinery orders rose 9.7% in June from the previous month. (megumi.fujikawa@wsj.com)

0112 GMT - The Australian dollar weakens slightly against its U.S. counterpart. Its headwinds include "another leg down" in artificial intelligence and chip stocks and new highs in long-term government bond yields, Westpac's Richard Franulovich says in commentary. The headwinds are "collectively sapping risk sentiment and AUD," says the head of the FX Strategy group. With Australian dollar's break below initial support at the US$0.7085 area earlier this morning, the next support is pegged at the US$0.7040 zone, Franulovich adds. The Australian dollar is 0.1% lower at US$0.7076, LSEG data show. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0055 GMT - Asian currencies consolidate against the dollar in early trade, but may be weighed by worsening risk appetite. There's been "another risk-off session as U.S. equities sold off for a third straight session" overnight, UOB's Global Economics & Markets Research team says in a report. "The dominant market risk remains the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict and the impending U.S.-Canada tariff deadline," the team adds. Absent a U.S.-Canada agreement, a new 50% U.S. tariff on certain Canadian goods kicks in on Wednesday. The U.S. dollar is 0.1% lower at 159.43 yen, but is little changed at 1.2785 Singapore dollars, while the Australian dollar is 0.1% lower at US$0.7078, LSEG data show. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0041 GMT - Asia-Pacific government bonds edge higher in price terms on possible dip-buying interest following notable price declines in recent days. In Japan, 10-year government bond yield rose as high as 2.945% on Tuesday, its highest intraday level since Sept. 1996. Bond yields move inversely to prices. In coming quarters, however, global bond markets are likely to "remain vulnerable to renewed bouts of volatility," economists at Capital Economics say in commentary. Governments appear reluctant to pursue meaningful fiscal consolidation and central banks seem constrained in their response, the economists add. The yield the 10-year Japanese government bond falls 1.5 bps to 2.920% while Australia's 10-year yield drops 4 bps to 5.0300%. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

0019 GMT - Japanese stocks are lower in early trade, tracking Wall Street's losses overnight. U.S. equities' declines come amid a global bond selloff that has sent long-term yields to their highest levels in years. "Equity investors have finally started to respond by going a bit defensive," FOREX.com's Fawad Razaqzada says in an email. "The overcrowded AI trade is losing momentum as yields press higher," the market analyst adds. Among the worst performers on the Nikkei, Renesas Electronics and Fujikura slip 7.2% each and Sumitomo Electric Industries is down 6.7%. The dollar is at 159.46 yen, compared with Y159.73 around Tuesday's Tokyo market close. The Nikkei Stock Average is down 2.7% at 65604.25. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

2338 GMT - Japanese stocks may fall, tracking Wall Street's losses overnight. U.S. equities' declines come amid a global bond selloff that has sent long-term yields to their highest levels in years. Analysts say the bond rout reflects various factors such as inflation fears spurred by rising energy prices and growing concerns over swelling government deficits. Nikkei futures are 1535 points lower at 66135 on the SGX. The dollar is at 159.57 yen, compared with Y159.73 around Tuesday's Tokyo market close. The Nikkei Stock Average closed 2.5% lower at 67460.73 on Tuesday. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

2231 GMT - Cochlear's opportunities for near-term growth are limited by persistent payer constraints, Jefferies analysts warn. They tell clients in a note they are seeing an increase in prior authorization rejections in U.S. healthcare, which the Australian hearing-implant maker will have to contend with. Higher out-of-pocket costs could lead to delays in higher-priced procedures such as cochlear implants, they warn. The analysts also point to external analysis suggesting that insurers denied between 12% and 18% of U.S. standard prior authorization requests in 2025. They raise their target price 13% to 144.75 Australian dollars, but stay neutral on the stock. Shares are at A$141.20 ahead of the open. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

2149 GMT - Australian advertised salaries grew in July at their fastest annual pace since February 2024, according to employment marketplace Seek. The ASX-listed classifieds group says salaries posted on its domestic platform were up 4.4% on a year earlier, led by a 6.4% jump in education and training positions. Seek says advertised salaries were 0.4% higher than a month earlier, up from the 0.3% growth seen in June and matching the monthly advance seen from January through April. The annual pace exceeds the 3.7% growth in take-home earnings recently seen in data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. However, the ABS data was for May. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

2019 GMT - AI hiring is expanding beyond traditional technical roles, analysts at LinkedIn's Economic Graph Research Institute say in a research note. The need for people that build AI systems is giving way to hiring for individuals that can deploy, manage and apply those systems, the analysts say. "This suggests AI is becoming a bigger part of everyday work, not just a specialized function," they say. There are also signs of growth in AI leadership roles, albeit unevenly, the analysts say. The share of postings for AI Manager and VP of AI roles has increased in recent years, they say. But the pattern isn't holding for every role -- Head of AI roles have remained stable and Director of AI roles have declined in share, the analysts say. (dean.seal@wsj.com)

2016 GMT - The number of AI job postings has roughly doubled in recent years, and those postings carry higher salaries than non-AI roles, though executive-level salaries in the field are retreating, according to analysts at LinkedIn's Economic Graph Research Institute. AI jobs are among the fastest-growing and highest-paying opportunities in the job market right now, with salaries typically around $177,000, compared with $80,000 for non-AI roles, the analysts say. The fastest pay growth has been concentrated in a few roles, including technical staff and forward deployed engineer positions, they say. In contrast, executive positions, such as "Head of AI" or AI Engineer, have remained flat since 2024, and VP of AI roles have seen listed pay decline from highs above $300,000, the analysts say.