The latest Market Talks covering Technology, Media and Telecom. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.

0448 ET - The global foldable smartphone market is rebounding, with shipments expected to reach 36 million units by 2028, more than double 2025's volume, according to research firm Omdia. Growth exceeding 20% annually is being driven by a new "wide-format" book-type design offering a portable, tablet-like experience. Following a 1H drop of 21.6%, caused largely by a slump in flip-type devices, wide-format models from Huawei and Samsung are revitalizing the segment, with more Android brands set to follow in 2027, Omdia says. However, high component costs will keep foldables a premium niche. Omdia expects shipments of foldable smartphones to hit 45 million units by 2030, capturing less than 3% of the total smartphone market. (jie.yang@wsj.com)

0333 ET - Kuaishou Technology is set to face continued headwinds, Daiwa analyst John Choi says in a research note. "E-commerce has become a key source of downside," he says. Daiwa forecasts 2H gross merchandise value to decline 10% on year, which would be significantly worse than flattish growth seen in 2Q. A weak e-commerce business, alongside soft advertising revenue, will have a negative impact on earnings, Choi adds. Daiwa downgrades Kuaishou to hold from buy and cuts its target price to HK$72.00 from HK$40.00. Shares are last at HK$33.88. (tracy.qu@wsj.com)

0304 ET - Malaysia's AI investment story could extend beyond data centers, with semiconductor equipment, automation and advanced manufacturing emerging as the next phase of the country's AI opportunity, Kenny Yee, head of research at Rakuten Trade says in a note. The shift is already visible in recent investments, as companies like Vitrox reported sharply higher earnings amid stronger AI-related semiconductor demand, he says. Aixtron is investing 200 million ringgit in a manufacturing and engineering center focused on advanced semiconductor-layer deposition technology, while MKS has opened a factory to support wafer-fabrication equipment demand, he notes. Investors could increasingly look beyond data-center operators toward whoever supplies the technology and equipment behind them. Risks include weaker AI capital spending, semiconductor cyclicality, customer concentration and trade restrictions, he adds. (yingxian.wong@wsj.com)

2252 ET - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing is poised for substantial growth, with its capital expenditure potentially reaching US$80 billion to US$85 billion in 2027, according to a recent Bank of America report. The forecast exceeds the Wall Street consensus estimate of US$75 billion. BofA reiterates its buy rating on TSMC and maintains target price at 3,100 New Taiwan dollars, citing a robust AI demand pipeline. Supporting the expansion, TSMC's board recently approved US$29 billion in capital appropriations. Meanwhile, the company's global expansion is progressing rapidly, with Arizona fab sales surging 145% from a year earlier to NT$45 billion in 2Q, accounting for 4% of consolidated revenue. (jie.yang@wsj.com)

2217 ET - Global humanoid robot shipments are projected to surpass 50,000 units in 2026, with service and industrial applications expected to emerge as the main drivers of demand growth over the next five years, according to Counterpoint Research. The research firm says 1H shipments exceeded 22,000 units, representing nearly 300% on-year growth. The market remains highly concentrated, with China's Agibot leading global shipments with more than 43% share, followed by Unitree at 31%. Competitive advantage is expected to shift beyond model performance and manufacturing scale toward integrated capabilities spanning advanced models, real-world deployment, data infrastructure, and rapid model iteration, Counterpoint says. (jie.yang@wsj.com)

2108 ET - SK Hynix could return at least 245 trillion won to shareholders until 2027, Hanwha Securities' Park Jun-young says. The analyst expects the South Korean chip maker to generate free cash flow of 491 trillion won over 2025-2027--28.8 trillion won last year, 191.6 trillion won this year and 270.6 trillion won next year--as it pledges to return more than 50% of its cumulative FCF to investors. SK Hynix "demonstrates confidence in its future cash generation and financial strength" by announcing a large-scale 40 trillion won share buyback plan preemptively before its cumulative FCF is finalized, Park writes in a note. (kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com)

1910 ET - Several software companies set to report next week will contend with elevated expectations among investors, D.A. Davidson analysts say in a note. Expectations are higher than they have been in a long time for Okta in particular, the analysts say, forecasting an acceleration for the company's current remaining performance obligations growth. Expectations are also high for CrowdStrike and Rubrik, per usual, they say. The analysts expect CrowdStrike to deliver a bigger-than-usual beat on annual recurring revenue after lighter-than-typical upside in the first quarter, and say they can foresee a wide range of potential outcomes for Rubrik given memory prices and other factors. Meanwhile, expectations for SentinelOne are the lowest among the bunch, they say. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

1421 ET - On-blockchain lending done through either a CeFi platform like Coinbase or Tether or DeFi providers like Compound, Aave, and Morpho continues to lose steam in 2026, according to a note from Galaxy Research. Combined, crypto-collateralized lending in 2Q 2026 fell by nearly 17% from the prior quarter, totaling $56.2 billion, the firm says. The dollar-denominated value of loans held by DeFi lenders plummeted nearly 28%, to $20.4 billion. While the decreases are large, Galaxy characterizes them as a "steady, stepwise decline," as opposed to a complete collapse of lending volume. "This measured pace points to a much healthier deleveraging cycle, driven by gradual risk reduction rather than forced liquidations or counterparty failures," Galaxy says. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1322 ET - The jump in bitcoin, going as high as nearly $69,000, comes as traders speculate over whether the Federal Reserve's meeting minutes will signal the likelihood of no rate hikes near-term. For bitcoin, the accelerating inflows from institutional investors is giving traders some confidence. "Institutional demand is beginning to recover after several sessions of weakness, which could help improve broader short-term market sentiment," says Julian Pineda of StoneX. Over the previous two days, bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows totaling nearly $487M. That's a stark reversal from much of the spring and summer, when investors were seen largely pulling money out in favor of more lucrative opportunities like AI stocks. Bitcoin is up 5.9% to $68,374. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1222 ET - Remarks from the US Trade Representative about progress on US-Canada trade talks point to the full reversal of digital policies introduced by former Canada PM Justin Trudeau, says internet-law expert Michael Geist. USTR says a tentative deal with Canada will incorporate "digital trade alignment." Geist, a law professor at University of Ottawa, notes Canada had already retreated from a digital-services tax compelling US streamers to hand over up to 15% of their Canadian revenue toward the domestic arts sector. Geist reckons the Trudeau-era online news law is now likely dead too. Meta Platforms blocked links starting in 2023 to news stories on Facebook and Instagram in Canada as the Trudeau administration law wanted digital platforms to finance media outlets.