The latest Market Talks covering Equities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.

1102 ET - 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)

1102 ET - 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. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1056 ET - Power utilities will remain critical for the expansion of AI infrastructure despite the growing number of dedicated electricity generators being built near data centers, Joseph DeCampo, a managing director at investment bank Moelis & Company, says during an industry conference. "While they may start off as behind-the-meter or off-grid projects, data centers ultimately would like to be tied into the grid," DeCampo says. Data centers would be reluctant to rely on off-the-grid power installations alone partly because of their high reliability requirements, other panelists say. That puts utilities in the best position to benefit from surging demand for electricity to power AI systems, DeCampo says. "[Utilities] understand the grid better than anybody out there," he says. "They are the ones who ultimately benefit from the longer-term [power] trends." (luis.garcia@wsj.com; @lhvgarcia)

1046 ET - European bank shares fall on Wednesday as bonds sell off again and sour risk sentiment. The STOXX Europe Banks index is down 3.4%, reducing its year-to-date gain to 13%. Among the biggest losers, shares in Societe Generale fall 5.2%, Deutsche Bank is 4.8% lower, UniCredit loses 4.6% and Intesa Sanpaolo retreats 3.8%. "The head of the French central bank said that the ECB does not need to step in to stabilize French bonds, which is spooking investors and triggered this sell off," XTB's Kathleen Brooks says. France's budget talks and nationwide protests have made France the European focus of the selloff. A bond selloff cuts the market value of fixed income portfolios and increases borrowing costs. (michael.hennessey@wsj.com)

1019 ET - MTY Food Group faces persistent macroeconomic headwinds and high uncertainty driven by intense quick-service restaurant competition. RBC's Ryland Conrad says in a report that uncertainty hinges around the scope, probability, timing and valuation of any potential transaction around MTY's ongoing strategic review, now in its tenth month. While an outcome could act as a catalyst for the stock, "sustained macro and competitive headwinds to limit any meaningful improvement in the near term." As a result, Conrad says the "focus remains on MTY's organic growth trajectory" where management continues improving and strengthening its network. The company is expected to report its 3Q results on Oct. 9. (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

0949 ET - Copper prices remain above $14,000 a ton, with supply-disruption risks limiting the prospect of easing concentrate tightness, ANZ analysts say. Weaker South American mine output, the Democratic Republic of Congo's export ban and El Nino-related disruptions have constrained concentrate availability, keeping treatment and refining charges under pressure. Weak smelter margins are also weighing on refined copper production, particularly in China, while wage negotiations at Chile's Escondida mine pose another supply risk. Although global copper inventories are at multi-year highs, nearly 70% are held in the U.S., tightening availability in other markets, ANZ says. Demand remains resilient, supported by investment in power grids, AI, data centers, electric vehicles and new-energy infrastructure. With the market undersupplied by around 1% of annual demand, the analysts expect prices to find support near $13,500 a ton, with upside potential to $15,000 a ton. (giulia.petroni@wsj.com)

0941 ET - Banks joining together to build a stablecoin will drive skeptical investors to trust the digital asset, Commerzbank's Poonam Ahuja says. A consortium of 37 European banks intend to launch Qivalis--the continent's first regulated euro-backed stablecoin--before the end of 2026. Investors wary of stablecoins worry about counterparty risk and operational challenges, Ahuja says at the Digital Assets Week conference in London. A joint approach will encourage investment in the digital asset, as well as widening its distribution, Ahuja says. Banks are well-trusted and can leverage that trust to increase stablecoin adoption, Ahuja says. (josephmichael.stonor@wsj.com)

0931 ET - Europe's planned release of strategic oil stockpiles might not translate into an immediate boost to supply, says Giovanni Staunovo from UBS. Unlike in the U.S., European inventories are spread across hundreds of locations and managed by governments, central stockholding agencies and private industry. Releases are often carried out by reducing mandatory stockholding requirements--such as the number of days of net imports or domestic consumption that companies must hold--rather than by directly selling barrels into the market, the strategist says. The process is further complicated because some European countries store strategic stocks in other nations. "As a result, lower mandated stockholding requirements may not translate into a complete and immediate increase in supply to the physical market," Staunovo says. (giulia.petroni@wsj.com)

0929 ET - AstraZeneca has a strong research-and-development engine that is still running despite recent setbacks, which bodes well for the U.K. drugmaker's long-term outlook, Bernstein analysts say in a research note. Shares in AstraZeneca have been under pressure lately and some investors are debating whether its current woes are comparable to what Swiss peer Roche experienced between 2022 and 2025, when it was punished by the market after a series of disappointing trials, the analysts say. The breadth and depth of AstraZeneca's drug pipeline means those fears seem misplaced and the U.K. company is unlikely to share Roche's fate, the analysts add. Bernstein trims its target price on AstraZeneca to 198 pounds from 200 pounds. Shares rise 1% to 120.80 pounds. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

0923 ET - Remy Cointreau can expect a pickup in sales growth, analysts at J. P. Morgan write in a note to clients. The French cognac-and-liqueur distiller should report 3.3% organic sales growth for the July-September quarter, up from 1.3% over the previous three months, according to JPM's estimates. Growth will be led by the mainstay cognac division, especially in the Chinese market, JPM says. Despite that likely acceleration, the longer-term picture for the group remains cloudy, the bank says. "In our view, the valuation premium [versus the international spirits industry] is not justified, with fiscal 2027 organic sales growth hovering in the low single digits, and with limited visibility on a sustainable top-line recovery," JPM says. (joshua.kirby@wsj.com; @joshualeokirby)

0921 ET - LNG markets are likely to remain tight into next year, with restricted Strait of Hormuz transit expected to constrain Qatar's exports until at least the first quarter, ANZ analysts say. Asia is bearing most of the demand adjustment, with higher LNG prices encouraging switching to coal in power generation and fuel substitution in industry, particularly in India and China. Europe, meanwhile, is relying more heavily on storage drawdowns and reduced industrial consumption to balance the market amid higher prices. A colder winter, weaker wind generation or stronger Chinese buying could intensify competition for LNG cargoes. "While the LNG market can absorb the loss of Qatari supply, the adjustment will be achieved through demand destruction, lower inventories and sustained high prices rather than a material increase in available supply," the analysts say. (giulia.petroni@wsj.com)

0917 ET - Elon Musk needs to move quickly to build out SpaceX's artificial-intelligence infrastructure, Yorkville Ives analysts say in a research note. Recent reports say SpaceX is in discussions with banks and investment-management firms to borrow $40 billion to purchase chips from Nvidia, and the analysts accordingly view this as a smart strategic move. "It fuels the flywheel between launch, Starlink, and AI: each business lowers the cost or expands the demand of the other two, and the AI segment is where the next leg of growth comes from as contracted cloud capacity converts into revenue," the analysts write. The move would likely be well received by investors, they add, given the scale of the AI-related cloud buildout ahead for SpaceX.