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

1850 ET - Japanese stocks may rise as hopes for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's economic steps continue following the ruling party's big election victory. Nikkei futures open at 58130 on the SGX, up 110 points from Wednesday and up 495 points from Tuesday. Japanese markets were closed on Wednesday for a national holiday. USD/JPY is at 153.10, compared with 155.38 as of Tuesday's Tokyo stock market close. Earnings are in focus, with Kubota and Kokusai Electric set to announce their results later Thursday. The Nikkei Stock Average rose 2.3% to 57650.54 on Tuesday. (kosaku.narioka@wsj.com)

1837 ET - Temple & Webster's first-half result contained something for both bulls and bears, RBC Capital Markets analyst Wei-Weng Chen tells clients in a note. Chen says that the major positive for those who think the Australian furniture retailer can deliver long-term margin expansion is the acceleration in sales growth late in the December half. He thinks skeptics will focus on its large Ebitda miss relative to consensus forecasts, which was led by discounting to drive that revenue growth. RBC has a last-published outperform rating and A$11.40 target price on the stock, which is down 23% at A$8.72. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

1834 ET - Temple & Webster's recent discounting prompts Citi analyst Sam Teeger to wonder if this pricing practice is the new normal. The Australian furniture retailer's revenue growth accelerated late in its fiscal first half, but Teeger says this may have been led by discounting. He tells clients in a note that it looks as though this approach led to a 31.4% gross margin for the December half, well below consensus of 32.9%. More positively, he points out that Temple & Webster's increased net cash balance gives it the ability to accelerate growth both organically and inorganically. Citi has a last-published "neutral" rating and A$15.38 target price on the stock, which is down 21%, at A$9.00. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

Temple & Webster's improved sales growth over the last few weeks of 2025 was likely due to the easing of order backlogs, Jarden analyst Aryan Norozi says. While waiting on more detail from management, Norozi points out that trading updates including the one issued in November reflect checkout revenue. Total first-half revenue is based on accounting, he adds. Norozi tells clients in a note that the online furniture retailer's current Ebitda run rate suggests that it is tracking below consensus for the full fiscal year. Jarden has a last-published buy rating and A$19.90 target price on the stock, which is down 24% at A$8.65. stuart.condie@wsj.com)

1818 ET - AppLovin kicked off its earnings call looking to soothe jitters over artificial intelligence and competition. The concerns led shares of software stocks, including AppLovin, to slide last week. "The recent volatility warrants addressing," CEO Adam Foroughi says. "There's been a lot of discussion about how AI and competition will challenge our business." Foroughi says, though, that AppLovin's own AI models are fueling its growth, and as both external and internal research in AI continues to improve, its business will grow with it. "There's a real disconnect between market sentiment and the reality of our business," he says. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

1810 ET - Australia's S&P/ASX 200 looks set for an uncertain start to Thursday's session following a soft lead by U.S. equities. ASX futures are barely moved before the start of trade, suggesting that the benchmark index could consolidate after Commonwealth Bank's better-than-expected earnings pushed it to a 1.7% rise on Wednesday. Ahead of the open, bank ANZ reported a 6% rise in 1Q cash profit amid lower costs. Gold miner Northern Star said its 1H profit jumped 41% on higher gold prices. Property developer Lendlease said its CEO will step down in August to take up a role elsewhere. In the U.S., the DJIA slipped 0.1%, the S&P 500 was flat, and the Nasdaq Composite lost 0.2%. (stuart.condie@wsj.com)

1806 ET - GlobalFoundries is looking beyond the explosion in data center developments, inking acquisitions that position the company for physical artificial intelligence, or AI tech that will power machines such as robots, drones and self-driving cars that interact with the physical world. The company's MIPS acquisition and deal for Synopsys' processor IP business lay the foundation for the company's pivot, which executives "firmly believe will outstrip the current boom on the data center over the long haul because the number of applications are much, much broader," CEO Tim Breen said on a call with investors. "As physical AI proliferates in the coming years and manifests across many different new applications and form factors, we expect our home and industrial Internet of Things business to be a key beneficiary." Shares closed up 16% to $48.76. (emon.reiser@wsj.com)

1622 ET - The new CEO served up by Domino's Pizza Enterprises ticks a lot of boxes for Jefferies. Domino's appointed Andrew Gregory, a former country head of McDonald's, as CEO with a state date of no later than Aug. 5. Analyst Michael Simotas says this is a positive appointment. He points to Gregory'ssolid track record over a long tenure in a high-quality fast food organisation. Gregory also brings finance and operational experience in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. "New CEO's willingness to leave a solid role suggests he sees upside," Jefferies says. "We also see material upside, and while same-store sales will remain soft during transition, we expect cost-out to support unit economics." Jefferies has a buy call on Domino's. (david.winning@wsj.com; @dwinningWSJ)

1609 ET - McDonald's said sales among loyalty members climbed double-digits in 2025, outpacing overall sales growth. Across 70 loyalty markets, systemwide sales to loyalty members for the full year increased 20% to nearly $37 billion, helping overall systemwide sales rise 7%. As of the end of the year, 90-day active loyalty users were up 19% to nearly 210 million, the company says. McDonald's has been investing in its loyalty program lately, using its customer data for personalized marketing offers. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

1608 ET - McDonald's is gaining traction in the U.S. as it attracts more customers, and gets them to spend more. The burger chain's same-store sales growth accelerated to 6.8% in the U.S. in 4Q, from 2.4% in 3Q. The metric also topped analyst expectations of a 5.4% increase, according to FactSet. The company says the growth was driven by higher check and guest count, primarily due to successful marketing promotions. (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

1606 ET - McDonald's says its refocus on value is bearing fruit. The fast-food chain has been working to restore its reputation for giving customers a better bang for their buck, aiming to win back cost-conscious eaters after raising menu prices in recent years. In the latest quarter, the strategy drove global same-store sales up 5.7%, the company says. "McDonald's value leadership is working," CEO Chris Kempczinski says. "By listening to customers and taking action, we have improved traffic and strengthened our value & affordability scores." (kelly.cloonan@wsj.com)

1605 ET - U.S. stocks erase early gains to end slightly lower as strong jobs data is expected to keep the Fed from cutting interest rates anytime soon. Energy shares led the gainers as oil prices rose on tensions with Iran, while financial shares are the worst performers. Robinhood Markets falls 8.8% after posting mixed results, dented by a late-year slump in its cryptocurrency business. Moderna shares fall 3.5% after the FDA refused to consider approving its new flu vaccine, and Humana loses 3.3% after issuing disappointing earnings guidance. DJIA falls 66 points, or 0.1%, to 50121, the S&P 500 slips a fraction to 6941 and the Nasdaq loses 0.2% to 23066. (patrick.sullivan@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 11, 2026 18:50 ET (23:50 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.