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

0403 GMT - Crasus Chemical's strength is operational reliability and maintenance expertise, Jefferies analysts say in a note. Resonac's petrochemical unit is set to list Tuesday in Tokyo, with a spin-off becoming effective Thursday. Crasus operates the Oita petrochemical complex, which includes the second-largest ethylene facility in Japan, the analysts say. The company has experienced no equipment-related production stoppages since 2014, they say. Crasus's growth will likely be driven by sales of high-performance polypropylene products and higher value-added offerings less exposed to Chinese competition, the bank says. At a reference price of 200 yen a share, the stock offers a dividend yield of 6% given the company's dividend on equity policy of 5%, providing relatively strong shareholder-return support within the domestic petrochemical sector, Jefferies says. (kosaku.narioka@wsj.com; @kosakunarioka)

0259 GMT - The finalization of Orica's North American ammonium nitrate supply arrangements for FY 2027 is "a slight positive," according to RBC Capital Markets. Yet it is only for one year and there will be a negligible impact on margins, the broker says. On the other hand, the delay in the sale of the Deer Park land is "a slight negative," says RBC. It expects the land will eventually be sold, and Orica says the change in timing doesn't affect its underlying business operations. RBC keeps an outperform rating. Its price target on Orica is A$27.00/share. The stock is up 2.3% at A$23.37/share. (rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com; @RhiannonHoyle)

0240 GMT - The rejected Gold Fields bid for Northern Star puts somewhat of a floor under the Australian miner's share price, says Macquarie. That's because it shows clear corporate interest in the company as a whole, the bank says. "Perhaps the bid comes from an African gold company which is happy to look-through the short-term risks of NST (management/board changes, and KCGM ramp-up risk) and is keen to diversify away from higher-jurisdiction risk countries for increased Australian gold exposure," Macquarie says. It notes that Northern Star trades at a roughly 6% discount to Gold Fields based on valuation. Macquarie has a neutral rating and A$22.50/share target on Northern Star. Shares are up 8.1% at A$23.91. (rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com; @RhiannonHoyle)

0211 GMT - Malaysian palm oil stocks could see an attractive entry opportunity following their recent pullback, driven by a strong 2H earnings outlook and firmer CPO prices during the high-production season, Public Investment Bank analyst Chong Hoe Leong says in a note. However, regulatory uncertainty in Indonesia could remain a concern for plantation companies with significant exposure, including SD Guthrie, Kuala Lumpur Kepong and Genting Plantations, he notes. The impact of Indonesia's new agrarian reform law remains pending on landholding limits, conflict resolution and the powers of a new land-reform agency. Public IB maintains an overweight rating on the Malaysian plantations sector, pegging Sarawak Plantation and TA Ann as top picks. (yingxian.wong@wsj.com)

0146 GMT - Tenaga Nasional's 2Q gas cost could potentially surpass the 4Q peak, suggesting concerns about higher fuel costs could persist into 2027, Maybank IB analyst Tan Chi Wei says in a note. However, the risk of Tenaga bearing additional costs through lower fuel-adjustment surcharges next year is likely low, he reckons. Tenaga is expected to absorb a one-off 120 million ringgit-150 million ringgit cost in September-December from waived fuel surcharges for selected households, while the fuel-adjustment mechanism remains intact. Gas costs could rise further in 2Q 2027 if Brent remains around $100 a barrel, while coal prices remain a key uncertainty given their larger share of power generation, he adds. Maybank maintains a buy rating on Tenaga, keeps its target price at 15.70 ringgit. Shares are 0.2% higher at 13.16 ringgit. (yingxian.wong@wsj.com)

0142 GMT - A rejected takeover proposal for Northern Star from Gold Fields values the Australian miner at 8.7x enterprise value/Ebitda based on FY27 estimates, RBC Capital Markets says. That is a 16% premium to peer Evolution Mining, which trades at 7.5x, says RBC. It is a roughly 48% premium to RBC's ASX gold coverage, on 5.9x, the broker says. Northern Star shares are up 8.5% at A$23.98. (rhiannon.hoyle@wsj.com; @RhiannonHoyle)

0042 GMT - LG Chem could post a 3Q earnings miss, likely weighed down by its struggling petrochemical business, says NH Investment & Securities' Y.K. Choi and S.W. Ryu. The analysts forecast an operating loss for the company's petrochemical unit for the July-September period amid sluggish demand, with the benefit from U.S. tariff refunds in 2Q tapering off. They estimate the firm's 3Q overall operating profit at about 10 billion won, well below the market consensus forecast of about 187 billion won. Still, they remain positive about sustained sales growth in the company's advanced-material business and its battery affiliate. NH cuts its target price for the stock by 13% to 350,000 won but keeps a buy rating. Shares are 2.8% higher at 259,500 won. (kwanwoo.jun@wsj.com)

2337 GMT - Australian stocks look set for an uncertain start to a week in which the country's central bank is widely expected to raise interest rates and warn of the potential for future hikes. Local equity futures are barely moved ahead of Monday's session, suggesting that the S&P/ASX 200 could be on track to pause its recent slide. The benchmark index is on a run of four weekly losses, which is its longest such streak in almost a year. Ahead of the open, Northern Star said it had rejected a takeover proposal from Gold Fields that valued its equity around US$27.2 billion. Retirement-community operator Ingenia said it had received a third proposal from Warburg Pincus.