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

0810 GMT - The Dutch government's complete exit from its stake in ABN Amro Bank is drawing closer, Citi's Shrey Srivastava writes. The government said Wednesday that it plans to lower its stake to 10.5% from 20.7%. Historically, investors have viewed a Dutch government exit as a positive, Citi says, as well as a catalyst for possible acquisitions. Any deals by ABN Amro are likely to be small-scale and could be focused around private or corporate banking, the analyst adds. The bank remains one of Citi's top picks in European banking. Shares are down 1.2%. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

0641 GMT - Aberdeen's sale of half its stake in Standard Life might raise longer-term questions about the company's strategic relationship, Citi's Nicholas Herman says. However, there aren't immediate implications for the existing commercial partnership between the companies, Citi notes. Aberdeen said it would sell half its 10.4% stake in savings-and-investment business Standard Life. The sale does pose the question of what could happen if the stake were to be fully divested, the analyst adds. Citi expects Aberdeen to use the proceeds to support the scaling of its Interactive Investor business and expand capabilities in its investments business. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

0502 GMT - Infrastructure Capital Advisors are bullish on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note as it anticipates the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates only one more time. One rate hike would be in line with the Fed's dot plots--or policymakers' rates forecast--, and would be fewer than priced in by markets, says the CEO and portfolio manager in a note. "The U.S. 10-year [yield] normally trades at 100 [bps] over the terminal Fed Funds rate so we expect the U.S. 10-year [yield] to stabilize in the 5% area as weak housing data and low CPI Core prints putting the Fed on hold," he says. The 10-year Treasury yield rises 3 bps to 5.306% in Asian trade, below Wednesday's 24-year intraday high of 5.365%, according to Tradeweb. (emese.bartha@wsj.com)

0425 GMT - The outlook for Malaysia's stock market remains cautious, though investors may see near-term support from its 2027 Budget. Malaysia's equity market faces higher U.S. interest rates, unresolved Middle East tensions and potential wage pressures, Kenanga IB analysts say in a note. While Budget 2027 could provide near-term support, other tailwinds include AI-related structural growth, energy transition and data centers, they note. Citing a barbell strategy, the analysts name defensive sectors as preferred, such as banking and healthcare industries after recent share-price declines. Cyclical sectors could face greater pressure from a potential interest-rate hike in 1H 2027 and higher costs, they add. Kenanga lowers its year-end KLCI target to 1770 from 1775. The KLCI is 0.8% lower at 1599.31.(yingxian.wong@wsj.com)

0314 GMT - The recent decline in Malaysian banking stocks is likely a buying opportunity for investors, says CGS International analyst Winson Ng in a note. Bad loans could rise due to credit risks from elevated oil prices, he says, and forecasts the gross impaired loan ratio to rise toward 1.5% by end-2026 from around 1.44% in end-August. Banks' net interest margins may also be supported in the longer term by higher yields from new fixed-income investments, he adds. CGS maintains an overweight rating on the sector, supported by attractive dividend yields, and pegs Malayan Banking, RHB Bank and Public Bank as top picks. (yingxian.wong@wsj.com)

0251 GMT - The Singapore dollar consolidates against its U.S. counterpart in the Asian session, but may be weighed by higher oil prices, which are typically negative for currencies of net energy-importing countries. "Firmer oil prices reignited concerns over inflation and the higher-for-longer [U.S.] interest rate outlook," UOB economists say in a report. There are "growing expectations that the Fed may need to keep interest rates elevated for longer," they add. The U.S. dollar is little changed at 1.2797 Singapore dollars, LSEG data show.(ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

2343 GMT - ASX's strong September-quarter trading activity supports continued belief at UBS that the Australian exchange operator could beat consensus revenue forecasts. Analysts at the investment bank tell clients in a note that they continue to see upside revenue risks after quarterly futures volumes surged 33% on a year earlier. With robust momentum elsewhere in the business, their earnings-per-share forecast for FY 2027 sits 4% higher than consensus. For FY 2028, they are 6% above consensus. That's despite tougher year-earlier comparisons on the horizon for the rest of the current fiscal year. UBS keeps a buy rating on the stock and lifts its target price 2% to 65.50 Australian dollars. Shares are up 4% at A$60.69. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

2225 GMT [Dow Jones]--Can Netwealth double its market share over the next 5 years? That's the question pondered by UBS. It thinks Netwealth can get close. "Netwealth currently has 9% market share of the Platforms Industry and our forecasts imply this rises to 15% by FY31," UBS says. "Net flows are run-rating 14% of funds under administration, suggesting strong organic growth prospects." UBS says Netwealth is adding advisers to its platform at a slower pace than rival Hub24. Still, it's optimistic that Netwealth can grow its market share because its advisers account for higher average funds under administration than those of Hub24. "The main risks to this view are macro: volatile markets constraining risk appetites, RBA monetary policy, tighter household budgets, and anaemic industry financial adviser growth," UBS says. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)

1539 GMT - Recent buyers of Bitcoin used the cryptocurrency's latest price run-up to sell and lock in quick profits, according to an analysis by Glassnode. On Sunday, 86% of bitcoin that moved onto exchanges, a move that typically comes when a crypto asset will be sold, came from short-term holders, the analysts say. That's the highest level in more than a year, they say. If this kind of quick-profit selling continues, it will create a wall of supply at the $85,000 level that will be hard to push past, the analysts say. If Bitcoin slips into the $81,700 to $83,300 range, traders that made leveraged bets on the price to go up will have to sell to cover their losses, pushing the price even lower, the analysts say. (dean.seal@wsj.com)

1535 GMT - Italy's premier stock index wipes out its summer gains, falling to lows last seen in June as tumbling banking and AI-linked stocks weigh. Stocks linked to the AI buildout fall sharply, with semiconductor-testing company Technoprobe down 6.3%, while electrification group Prysmian falls 4.7%. Banks also drop sharply as higher oil prices and fiscal concerns weigh on the broader European sector. Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena falls 4.1%, while UniCredit loses 4.4%. Banca Mediolanum falls 3.8%. The FTSE MIB drops 2.7%, on track to close at its lowest level since June 5. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

1502 GMT - France's CAC 40 index of blue-chip stocks falls to its lowest level since March as inflation fears, higher oil prices and a tech selloff combine to weigh on the index. Banks lead a sharp fall in the index, as heightened concerns about France's budget deficit put upward pressure on French borrowing costs. Societe Generale drops 5.7%, while BNP Paribas loses 4.3%. The index also suffers from a selloff in AI-related stocks. Electrical infrastructure groups Legrand and Schneider Electric drop 4.6% and 2.9%, respectively, while chip maker STMicroelectronics falls 3.3%. The CAC 40 falls 1.4% to 7,755.07 points, on track for its lowest close since March 27, according to LSEG. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

1502 GMT - Strength seen in altcoins -- cryptocurrencies outside of bitcoin or stablecoins -- has quickly faded in the early days of October, with most major cryptocurrencies posting big losses in morning trade. Altcoins are now amplifying losses seen in bitcoin, says analysts with Glassnode in a note. The firm attributes this to the leverage built up around many mid-cap and small-cap tokens, with these coins carrying open interest that is high in comparison to their total market capitalization -- a sign of a potential unwind ahead, says Glassnode. Bitcoin falls 3% to $83,071, while ethereum is down 5.1% to $2,562, XRP drops 4.8% to $1.43, and solana is down 4.3% to $115.84.