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

1654 ET - The decision to push ahead with phase two of the Canada LNG operation in Western Canada is a sign the country is again building big, Prime Minister Mark Carney says. He tells an audience that the more than C$30 billion investment to double LNG production will make LNG Canada the second-largest facility of its kind in the world. It also will create some 4,000 jobs at the peak of construction, he adds. will create over thousands of new jobs. And the Shell-led venture's final investment decision, TC Energy will move ahead with a multi-billion-dollar second phase of the Coastal GaslLink pipeline, which Carney says will create more than 2,000 jobs. Shell CEO Wael Sawan says the investment go-ahead reflects confidence in Canada as a place to invest and do business for the long-term. (robb.stewart@wsj.com; @RobbMStewart)

1458 ET - OpenAI is adding plug-in extensions to its AI models to help customers distribute their products more. App makers can build directly into ChatGPT and Codex, Chief Executive Sam Altman says during OpenAI's Development Day. Apps can also be discovered through the models, so when a user asks a question, ChatGPT can recognize if a plug-in would be helpful and suggest it. Users can also use the tokens they pay for through a ChatGPT subscription to use other company's programs, so businesses don't have to cover the cost of users' tokens, Altman says. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

1456 ET - OpenAI is launching an ultra-fast version of its AI models to try to help developers and businesses speed up work. The faster version will be available across API, ChatGPT and Codex, Chief Executive Sam Altman says during OpenAI's Development Day. Ultrafast models will work at eight times the speed of a typical model, with price six times higher. That is an increase from OpenAI's "Fast" version, which gives users twice the speed at twice the price. Ultrafast will also be available for OpenAI's new GPT-6.1 Sol in the near future, Altman says. The launch comes after OpenAI scrapped the release of its new AI model over safety concerns. (katherine.hamilton@wsj.com)

1433 ET - TD Cowen weighs in on Monday's investor presentation by WSP Global. Analyst Michael Tupholme says the global engineering and services firm reiterated the significant opportunity across power and energy "supported by broad structural demand drivers beyond the AI & data center build-out." Importantly, he notes management stressed that "growth is not dependent on any single demand driver." Tupholme says WSP reaffirmed it's on track to achieve its overall 2027 financial targets including a 40% surge in net revenue and a 50% rise in adjusted Ebitda, all versus 2024 levels. (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

1250 ET - While analysts say that a positive sentiment around bitcoin is starting to fade, at least in the short-term, data shows that investors are accumulating long-facing options at over $90,000. Other popular targets include strike prices of $95,000 and $100,000, according to data from Deribit. Fund traders are continuing to return to bitcoin ETFs as well, with days of consecutive inflows now up to 8 days - with an inflow of $31 million seen yesterday, according to data from Coinglass. Bitcoin is currently trading lower, down 0.3% to $83,238. Ethereum is flat at $2,682, XRP is up 1.5% $1.52, and solana is down 0.2% to $118.57. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1244 ET - Investors are overly fixated on Netflix's slowing viewing trends in the U.S. and missing other positives for the company, Deutsche Bank analysts write in a note, updating the stock to buy. They note that the biggest domestic declines this year coincided with the Winter Olympics and World Cup, while international viewing data suggest consistent growth with a substantial runway. The company also has room to leverage its position as a platform -- optionality the analysts see as not priced in - and should, on net, benefit from AI adoption. Though the U.S. softness is real, the analysts write, "we believe the current valuation largely reflects these domestic risks while insufficiently differentiating Netflix's mature US business from its less- developed, higher growth international opportunity." Shares gain 2%. (elias.schisgall@wsj.com)

1237 ET - Xanadu Quantum Technologies offers a high-upside, pure-play investment in photonic quantum computing, says RBC's Paul Treiber, who initiates coverage with a speculative risk rating and a $16 price target. The analyst says that near-term stock upside will be driven by technical milestones, government funding, and strategic partnerships rather than immediate sales until its quantum data center goes online in 2029/2030. The risk exists because "Xanadu and most quantum computing peers have nominal near-term revenue, which makes benchmarking valuation difficult." However, Treiber says that Xanadu offers a "unique exposure to photonics-based quantum computing" as the company and sector ramp up to "quantum monetization" in 2030. Shares are up 2% to C$4.87 but down 55% year-to-date. (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

1223 ET - AutoCanada making moves to reorganize its business, most recently by setting up a committee to consider what to do with its collision repair unit. The Canadian automotive retail group is now mulling a potential sale of one of its core business units as part of a broader strategic review for the segment it says isn't fully reflected in its shares. The company only a day prior said it would focus more on its core dealership and collision operations after saying it would discontinue its digital auto-retailing initiatives, which are its online consumer-to-consumer finance and insurance business and its Kijiji-based instant cash offer business. In the same week, AutoCanada's large minority investor, Rob Steele, expanded his stake in the company and bringing his ownership to 10.4%. (adriano.marchese@wsj.com)

1215 ET - Demand for Carnival's cruises is strong and broad-based, CEO Josh Weinstein says on a call with analysts. After experiencing a disruption in bookings earlier this year, trends rebounded meaningfully over the past three months, he says: "With 2026 largely on the books, our attention is turning to 2027 and beyond." For 2027, Carnival is already halfway booked, with both occupancy and pricing at record levels, according to Weinstein. "2028 is also off to an excellent start at higher occupancy and even higher prices year-over-year, and our booking curve is further out than it has ever been at this point in the year," he adds. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

1213 ET - Carnival CEO Josh Weinstein says strong demand and operational improvements have fully offset higher fuel costs. "Yes, fuel can be a volatile input cost, with a track record of prices going up and down," Weinstein says on a call with analysts. "But amidst that noise, let's not lose sight of our underlying operational improvement." The cruise operator is generating more demand, with strong booking trends and pricing power. At the same time, the company has netted more than $150 million in operational improvements since its last quarterly readout in June, Weinstein says. Taken together, Carnival has fully offset the impact of higher fuel prices that are currently expected, according to Weinstein. Carnival jumps 12%. (connor.hart@wsj.com)

1204 ET - Fair Isaac is dealing with two key negative developments, Deutsche Bank says in a note. Analyst Faiza Alwy says FHFA director Bill Pulte indicated that competitor VantageScore's 20 point discount to FICO has been removed and both scores will now be treated the same by the GSEs. "This would likely in and of itself result in higher number of mortgages that will see favorable pricing with VS4 vs. FICO Classic," Alwy says. Additionally, Rocket Mortgage said it will become the first mortgage lender to use VantageScore 4.0 as its preferred credit scoring model for all eligible loans, and during 4Q will default to VS4 for mortgages delivered to the federal housing agencies, VA home loans and any other eligible mortgages, according to Alwy. Fair Isaac tumbles 27%. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

1134 ET - Saudi Arabia leads major Gulf stocks lower Tuesday, with the Tadawul All Share Index falling 1.2%. Qatar's QE Index loses 1.1%, Abu Dhabi's benchmark index declines 0.3% and the Dubai Financial Market General Index slips 0.2%. Risks from the Middle East conflict remain elevated despite recovering regional oil flows. S&P Global Market Intelligence says its base case no longer assumes a clear end to the war, with Gulf exports likely to fluctuate as security conditions affect ships' willingness to transit the Strait of Hormuz. It expects only gradual improvement through 2027, with energy, freight, insurance and logistics costs remaining elevated.